journal:

The America I Never Knew

By Jonathan Feaster

2008-02-12

When historians examine the history of the former United States I'm sure that they'll find an era when the federal government generally left people alone to pursue what makes them happy. They'd find a country who's citizens at least had enough sense to learn from history that governments are not to be trusted. They'd find a vigilant citizenry who was the master of the government and not the other way around.

This is not that era.

I never knew that America.

I don't think anyone has known that America for at least 160 years now. We live in a time when, if you have a little patience, a little bit of money and (most importantly) talent in seeming great even though you aren't great you can seize power to ruin people's lives and have them love you for it.

What's to be expected? Our educational system is so diluted that we are taught that up is down, wrong is right and two plus two equals five. People criticize others for being "liberal" and praise others for being "the true conservative" when they don't even know what liberalism or conservatism is. I know what those words used to mean but today liberalism and conservatism are only synonyms for tyranny. They've convinced us that there are two sides to the argument when it's really just two hands in our pockets or two hands at our throats.

As if we really have a choice.

I really hate to beat a dead horse but when your neighbors are so lazy about thinking and care so little about the critical issues that they prefer to just get their information in snippets from a mainstream media with an agenda it's no wonder that the powers that be laugh at us as they hand pick our masters. To our master's advantage, most people don't understand or care about the Constitution and (though some of the founding fathers meant well) it's getting harder to argue that it's been successful in "binding" tyrants. For God's sake, America, you don't have to have a PhD to figure out what's going on! We're not free and haven't been for over a century. Long ago there were people who knew that we were enslaved fools.

"The ostensible supporters of the Constitution, like the ostensible supporters of most other governments, are made up of three classes, viz.: 1. Knaves, a numerous and active class, who see in the government an instrument which they can use for their own aggrandizement or wealth. 2. Dupes --- a large class, no doubt --- each of whom, because he is allowed one voice out of millions in deciding what he may do with his own person and his own property, and because he is permitted to have the same voice in robbing, enslaving, and murdering others, that others have in robbing, enslaving, and murdering himself, is stupid enough to imagine that he is a "free man," a "sovereign"; that this is "a free government"; "a government of equal rights," "the best government on earth," and such like absurdities. 3. A class who have some appreciation of the evils of government, but either do not see how to get rid of them, or do not choose to so far sacrifice their private interests as to give themselves seriously and earnestly to the work of making a change." - Lysander Spooner 1867

I know we're not finished yet, and that we can make it right but some of us can see the barrel in our mouth. We're all encouraged to spend as the masters spend (it's "good for the economy" ya know?) and damn the consequences. Someone once said that a sign of maturity is the ability to accept the consequences of your actions. Couple our irresponsible finances with the common belief that the government should "provide" us food, a living, health care etc. and you'd think we were a nation of toddlers! A free lunch? Oh, we'll pay for it and you can't skip out on that check.

Speaking of what's "good for the economy", we have a war and one that could last for "100 years" if need be. Even though we can't afford these adventures our educators inform us that we can improve and sustain ourselves through murder and arms (never mind what we would have done with our resources otherwise). And just when you think that people would wise up to these facts, our masters whip out the oldest one in the book. Fear. Fear, the oldest human emotion. The commanders use fear to convince us to sell out our rights and the rights of our neighbors. They use fear to induce ordinary people to kill each other who would probably live in peace under different circumstances. Our enemies don't hate us because of our freedoms. They hate our government because of what our government does to them and their government feeds on those emotions. When will we all realize that governments are the enemy?!

What will historians say about our nation? Will they say that we saved it or that we blew it?

The good 'ol U.S. really should do something before it's too late and the consequences reach critical mass. If and when that happens, I know that I'll be watching (with sadness) from outside the gates as my ancestors watched Russia and Germany become what they became.