Tag: liberty

If America Was Honorable, There Would Be No Memorial Day

Peter R. Quiñones wrote the following brief reflection recently, and it mirrors my own sentiments as well.  As an idealistic youth I voluntarily joined the peacetime US Navy just after Vietnam in 1976, in the hopes that America had learned her lesson about fighting wars abroad that had nothing to do with keeping America “safe”.

The greatest message you can communicate to anyone you encounter on Memorial Day is that it is a holiday that should not exist. The excuses for the men and women who have died in “service to this country” are numerous, but only in the rarest of circumstances does it have to do with protecting American lives or liberty on this piece of soil.

I’m only going to address the 20th Century here so we should start with World War 1. Was the United States homeland in danger of being invaded by anyone? Of course not. Hans-Hermann Hoppe’s great book, “Democracy: The God That Failed,” conveys to me that WW1 was fought to destroy any remaining trace of historic monarchies in Europe, and to institute democracy instead. Even the countries that kept their royalty saw them become only symbols in a parliamentary system rather than a one family rule.

What about World War 2? PEARL HARBOR!!! HITLER DECLARED WAR ON US!!! WW2 is the war that is consistently sold as the “good war.” Fortunately, many good historians have shot multiple holes in the assumed fact that the US had to enter WW2 on either front. I interviewed one here.

What about Korea? Vietnam? Iraq War 1, 2, 3 and 3.5? Afghanistan? Somalia? Libya? Syria? I could go on and on (unfortunately). The bottom line for all these is this; the “honorable” and “patriotic” reasons given for American men and women dying on battlefields across the world are strained when you begin to look at them more closely. The hundreds of thousands who sacrificed their lives believing they were fighting for American freedom were mistaken. Overwhelmingly they were duped. But it’s not their fault. With the draft in effect for most of the 20th century (ended in 1973 when the US pulled out of the Vietnam War), many had no choice but to fight. Many others were convinced to enlist by war propaganda.

On Memorial Day I weep for the fallen. Not because of their sacrifice, but because they were sacrificed.

Routinely, the American government has squandered the innocence of our youth to do exactly what Robert E. Lee warned about:

In my previous post I covered a lot of ground towards truths that could (I rarely say “should” as I believe you don’t typically “should” on you real friends 🙂 ) open their eyes to the true character of their evil government. The so-called American Exceptionalism is pure myth. Just ask other people around the world who have experience our “help”.

There is, however, even in these days much to be hopeful for. We can continue to plant the seeds of truth with those who will listen about the lies that seem to bombard us each and every day in our world. This unwrapping of truth could very well lead this nation, or preferably, parts of this nation, to reflect on core truths that might bring about a new season of liberty and freedom in the regions that hold these truths to their hearts.

Maybe this American Government holiday can be used to help people question the very nature of their government, their politicians and the evil cabal that backs an evil agenda in this land all for power and money.

-SF1

 

Upper Management Joins Woke as Their Main Mission in Life – in Military Too!

Reflecting back on the past 5-10 years, there has been a steady trend in hearing more about politics in the work environment. While this happens in the rank and file, it has exploded in the levels above the average working/operational team. 2020 was the year I heard how wonderful the BLM was and by 2021 I heard how horrible was the unarmed insurrection. (you have to be joking right? unarmed overthrow? as Cornwallis said to his second in command said “You dream, General”)

Today I typically read the first line in every correspondence from the top executives and call it good and “file” the e-mail away for safe keeping while I attempt to keep from barfing. As a recent article about the US military states, the same thing is happening there:

.. many of our top brass are far more politicized than in the past, and can grow more ideologically distant from lower-ranking officers and enlisted personnel.

So what is up? Well, this is the pointy end of the spear aimed right at the hearts of the common man (men and women in the workforce). This is an agenda from “enlightened” people who have a vision of utopia in their heads that feel they have been anointed to bestow “right thought” on to the masses.

Regarding the military, the left sees this as an opportunity:

One, the left now dotes on what it envisions will soon be a woke military. It believes the chain of command can green-light progressive social changes—from women in combat units to timely displays of massive force on the streets of Washington—without bureaucratic red tape or opposition from Congress.

Two, federal agencies in therapeutic fashion now often dilute their traditional missions to accommodate social-awareness agendas.

Will “feel good” translate into operational effectiveness and adding value in society and around the world? Again, as Cornwallis said:

The same attempt to change the culture in the workplace with propaganda is also taking place in the military. As pointed out in this article, with the average soldier and sailor reacting to the difference between the BLM-Antifa efforts in 2020 with over 275 riots and $1B+ in property damage that somehow history is being altered to picture what happened at the US Capitol on January 6th is much worse and labeled an “insurrection”. The Biden administration and military re-action to this is placing 30,000 troops in the nation’s capital which is the most placed there since 1863 when Confederate General Jubal Early threatened the city with his ARMED forces.

Top military brass is hell-bent on making any comparison between the Portland-Seattle-Kenosha and beyond BLM/Antifa efforts of JUN2020 and the 06JAN2021 two hour invited tour of the US Capitol off limits. The history the military wants imprinted is that 06JAN2021 was bad .. period .. and ignore the feelings expressed in the summer of 2020.

Just listen to the top levels of the US Army in this article discuss the concern they have that their common-sense subordinates might think differently without the constant Kool-Aid IV drip from Marxist agendas:

In a Thursday briefing with reporters at the Pentagon, Chief Master Sergeant Ramón “CZ” Colón-López, the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that some troops have asked, when the Jan. 6 riot is brought up, “How come you’re not looking at the situation that was going on in Seattle prior to that?” .. He said that is one example of the mindset many military leaders are encountering, and he is “concerned about the way that some people are looking at the current environment.” .. “This is coming from every echelon that we’re talking to,” he added.

Chief Master Sergeant Ramón “CZ” Colón-López, the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a March 18, 2021 briefing with reporters. (U.S. Army)

This is “leadership” in the US military today. Snowflake central!!!

Colón-López said the confusion some younger troops have expressed shows why the training sessions on extremism are needed.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the stand-down Feb. 5 and gave units across the military 60 days to discuss extremism in the ranks with troops.

You can’t make this s**t up. I guess this is in continued preparation for a future army that will shutter at the mention of mere words. You know how easy it is to trigger this mentality and render the whole armed forces impotent in their actual roles around the world? OTOH, maybe this is just as well, so that the US empire can start to die with the military leaders crying and complaining about the dangerous words and ideologies that are in conflict with the leftist/Marxist bent currently run up the flag pole as something to embrace.

I digress.

I know that it is tough to swim upstream in compliant military circles against the masses that will be convinced that Marxism attempted correctly will make everyone equal and feel good someday, but even underground push-back is honorable until one is in position to encourage others openly to stand for liberty and freedom.

Large corporations too are actively limiting the career ladder climbs for those that don’t fall in line with these ludicrous dreams from upper management that they are asked to parrot. It is a dark and treacherous path forward for those who can critically think and can find honorable alternatives in the face of this attack on society.

All levels of government including public schools are doing the same.

Stay the course and be strong. Wise as serpents, harmless as doves remember!!!

-SF1

The Violence and Revolution of 1776 and 1865, Was it Necessary to Secure Liberty and Freedom for All?

Those of us that treasure the principles of liberty and freedom for all will have some very difficult choices in the days, weeks and months ahead. Knee-jerk reactions will have to be avoided as critical thinkers think through the consequences of possible decisions, not just the initial consequences, but the second and third tier consequences as well (something all political types are ignorant about). Unintended consequences of good intentions are still a problem. The end does NOT justify the means.

An article published today by Tom Luongo of Gold, Goats and Guns website challenges the conservitives of today to avoid the trap that the elites have laid out that was highlighted by this Brandon Smith (Alt-Market) quote:

To be clear, what I believe is happening is that conservatives are being prodded and provoked, not to separate and organize but to centralize. I think they want us to support actions like martial law which would be considered totalitarian. Conservatives, the only stalwart defenders of civil liberties, using military suppression and abandoning the Bill of Rights to maintain political power? That is a dream come true for the globalists in the long term. And despite people’s faith in Trump, there are far too many banking elites and globalists within his cabinet to ensure that such power will not be abused or used against us later.

Tom rightly responds:

Nothing would give Klaus Schwab and The Davos Crowd [moneyed global elites] more pleasure than turning us into them — willing to use indiscriminate violence to push otherwise humble and decent people into crazed killers and repudiate their inherent meekness, their inherent desire to pursue their bliss, allowing everyone else that same courtesy.

Principles people! Politics is NEVER a good answer. Fight the good fight using the Golden Rule even if it looks tough and shortcuts look appealing.

Part of the problem is that a vast majority of over 70M people who voted for Trump still believe in the Mythology of America. America as mythology has always stood as the ‘shining house on the hill’ for this enlightened idea that the wishes of the individual pursuing his bliss creates the community and culture which lifts the world out of a less attractive reality. This is why the US destroyed Iraq and Libya, which were each enjoying their own version of success to bring about US democracy, which left them in fractured states decades later, producing many dead innocent men, women and children, reducing Christian influence in these regions and causing many to be refugees, leaving their ancestral homelands of centuries.

That America has been dead since before the myth was birthed. In reality, the 1776 revolution brought HIGHER taxes and more central tyranny to this land than the Brits had even dreamed of. The 1865 reaction to a peaceful secession forever removed the sovereign states as a barrier to full blown federal tyranny, which is the prime reason we are seeing what we have now.

So we have all been taught a myth .. and now we have to critically think about our real options now that the myth has been shown to be a lie.

Tom laments:

What if the mythology of America today has these two wars backwards? What if all the conservatives mourning the Constitution today thanks to a feckless Supreme Court and treasonous Congress have it all wrong? What if the America they mourn the death of today died in 1865 not 2020?

Would that America still be worth finally fighting a bloody civil war for? Because that’s what The Davos Crowd is daring Donald Trump to do.

What if the better response is to do what the South tried to do and failed.

Simply walk away and say, “No more.”

Because fighting the bloody war of all against all, becoming raving fascists rising up to stop the rapacious (and economically backwards) communists in the process is always the wrong option.

Secession is always an option. Opting out of the hyper-collectivizing impulses of in-group/out-group bias is always the right choice. They want us to throw the first punch, to lash out, fire first out of fear, c.f. Fort Sumter, to justify their brutality afterwards.

Something to ponder on for sure.

Peace out.

-SF1

When Politicians Underestimate the Eminent Destruction they will Trigger

We can learn from 1774/1775/1776 as well as from 1860/1861 when politicians short term thinking causes a societal rift that most times lead to violent revolutions that result in further oppression of the common man.

The last great rift in the US’s history is none other than the victor’s name for that war, the American Civil War (War Against Southern Independence). A blog post from the Abbeville Institute by John Devanny helps unpack not only what happened in the 1860s .. but also what is happening now. Consider:

The guns of that [Civil] war have long since been silenced, slavery has thankfully ceased, and racial bigotry has waned greatly in the succeeding generations, no matter what the “woke” among us believe; we who have more years and experience know better. An older conflict, however, re-emerged. One need only consult an election map broken down by county to see this ancient Anglo-American conflict in colors of red and blue, center versus periphery, court versus country. The great metropolitan cities and suburbs, college towns, the financial centers, the techno-autocrats of the left coast, and their suburbs arrayed against the small towns and rural counties of America. Neither slavery nor sectionalism nor the two-party system obscures the conflict now. A wide and deep enmity and distrust now separates Americans and reaches its icy hands to divide colleagues, friends, and families.

The year 2020, perfect vision, should make it clear, crystal clear to everyone, that there is a great divide in this land. There are those that think no one should be responsible for themselves, and for the greater good allow politicians and bureaucrats dictate society’s every move who oppose those who believe in the individual, their natural right to life, liberty and property.

So in reflection, it can be seen that in 1860, the legitimacy of the newly elected government was in doubt, as it was obvious by the rhetoric of these politicians that the northern states would accelerate the wealth transfer (via tariffs) from south to north. No longer did the south give their consent to this federal compact.

The election of 1860 and the actions and policies of Mr. Lincoln called into question the legitimacy of the federal government for many Southerners. It brought to life the warnings of John Randolph of Roanoke and John C. Calhoun, the South would be governed by the North, Southern interests, and not just slavery, were put into the hazard. For Calhoun, one of the dangers to the federal republic’s integrity was the rejection of the principle that the union’s benefits and burdens were to be shared equally by the states. The Republican Party’s motto might as well have been that of every other conqueror in history, “Woe to the conquered, spoils to the victor.” The Republican Party had no intention of resisting the temptation of indulging their libido dominandi, and with John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster, and Henry Clay removed from the scene after 1850, compromise was impossible. This being the case, Southern states concluded, one by one and often for somewhat different reasons, that the federal government lacked legitimacy. The resort to military force upon the part of the federal government only confirmed their suspicions.

Back in 1860, there was a great swath of Christians that allowed many military conflicts to avoid destruction to innocent civilian bystanders until later in the war when the likes of Sheridan, Sherman and Grant were desperate enough for total victory that their total war strategy would be used to exterminate the southern culture and then be used on the plains Indians to do the same.

Today, society is very post-Christian and also post-rational as the blog author points out. The years to come will not be pretty.

The great crisis of legitimacy that resulted in the War Between the States proved our country’s greatest and bloodiest war. For the states of Maryland and Kentucky, it was a true civil war, where brother fought brother, cousin fought cousin, yet these implacable foes did retain their humanity toward each other, ‘twas a more Christian age. All of America is now Maryland and Kentucky, circa 1860. The difference is the Court and the Country revile each other, and the lessons of the classics and Christianity will not provide restraint, not in a post-Christian and post-rational society. Three of our greatest statesmen: Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and John C. Calhoun could only forestall the awful conflict. Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Alexander Stephens, and Stephen Douglas, all able men to one degree or another, they and the others of their generation blundered the nation into a horrible conflict. What are we to make of likes of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Janet Yellen, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Mike Lee, William Barr and the vast sea of mediocrities and blackguards inhabiting the foggy bottom swamp upon which the Court stands? No one can seriously entertain the notion that these persons are of the caliber of the Framers, the Great Triumvirate, or the Blundering Generation. Are they even capable of discerning the mischief their policies and negligence have wrought upon the country, or the deep mistrust they have helped to sow among their countrymen? What shall future generations make of such men and women?

We can only pray that a minority, a remnant, would rise up and give hope to those who value freedom and liberty not just for themselves, but for the generations that follow.

Peace out

-SF1

Quick Money or Invest for the Future: New Polar Silk Road

Quick money is the natural inclination of those that are in “it” for themselves. Investing in the future honorably is something “other centered” people do, knowing not only their positive character traits can be an inspiration to next generations, but that any value added was accomplished without using people as if they were just cannon fodder while also holistically enriching those that follow us.

While my typical posts tend to be negative and critical, this post is one of hope. The dream of those that are anti-state, anti-war and pro-market is that peaceful trade will be the antidote to war.

My hope for my kids and grandkids is a future where wars are minimized and that life, liberty and freedom abound.

With this in mind, this particular post called “Trump’s Suprising Alaska-Canada Rail Announcement” from Matthew Ehret demonstrates the things that are in the works that the average MSM watcher misses, the good news.

For all of his limitations, President Trump has displayed a rare and invaluable quality unseen in an American president for decades: Humanity and genuine patriotism. While neocons and technocrats attempt to gain the upper hand amidst the impending blowout of the $1.5 quadrillion derivatives bubble called the western economy, a new epoch of serious nation building has emerged with the Russia-China alliance and Belt and Road Initiative, which has extended development corridors, industrial zones and mass infrastructure led by rail throughout Asia, Africa and increasingly into the Russian Arctic under the Polar Silk Road.

Rare praise for what President Trump is up to that gains little attention in the press that is infatuated with the here and now instead of the future of the people of the US, Canada and yes even Russia and China.

What is also missed by MSM has been Trump’s behind the scenes efforts towards an economic effort, verses BushII/Obama style “bombing for democracy” which is code for war for quick profits to the MIC (Military Industrial Complex). Here is Trump in noble action in SEP2020 towards healing the scars (thanks Clinton administration) in the Kosovo/Serbia region since the 2008 conflict:

Trump’s normalisation agreement provides for increased economic collaboration between Kosovo and Serbia, particularly in the areas of transport and infrastructure. It also requires the two countries to increase the work they have been doing on issues of missing persons, refugees and internally displaced persons from the 1990s Kosovo war.

On the back of this success President Trump made this ‘Polar Silk Road’ announcement (do note that I am not convinced that the “Lincoln Principles of Government” has much merit, since his “Might” was made “Right” in his own eyes after the seven southern states seceded in late 1860 and early 1861, but I digress), Matthew Ehret shares HIS thoughts:

In its essential character, this Multipolar alliance represents a form of thinking and action which are much more in alignment with discoverable principles of natural law (premised not on “Might Makes Right but rather “Right makes Might” as enunciated famously by the great Chinese President and revolutionary in his Three Principles of the People (modelled on his studies of Lincoln’s principles of government) where he said: “The rule of Right respects benevolence and virtue, while the rule of Might only respects force and utilitarianism. The rule of Right always influences people with justice and reason, while the rule of Might always oppresses people with brute force and military measures.”

Todays potential re-emergence of the Alaska-Canada Railway which would be driven under a pro-Pacific and pro-Arctic development model represents the first genuine display of this paradigm in North America in decades.

This is not innovative or new, as the balance of Matthew Erhet’s article demonstrates, but is instead a visionary look ahead that could help to make America great again.

Ever since the days of the sale of Alaska from Russia to the USA in 1867, it was understood by leading statesmen of both nations that an inevitable next phase in human society’s evolution would involve extending the U.S. Trans Continental Railway through Canada, into Alaska and thence into Russia and Asia via the Bering Strait rail tunnel. This project had received fervent support from such figures as Russian Prime Minister Sergei Witte, Colorado’s Governor William Gilpin and even Czar Nicholas II who commissioned American engineers to conduct a feasibility study in 1906. These stories were told in full in my recent reports The Missed Chance of 1867, and The Real Story Behind the Alaska Purchase.

It is indeed heartening to see glimpses of peace and commerce offset that of war and refugees. Thomas Jefferson would be proud:

Peace out.

-SF1