One runs a risk whenever one cites the 20th century’s great terror states while discussing current ominous developments in the western democracies. Apparent comparisons of the United States or western and central European countries to Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia will inevitably be hooted down with accusations of alarmist conspiracy-mongering and worse, shameful ahistoricity. Nevertheless, that must not keep us from noticing and pointing to contemporary events that bear an eerie resemblance, however slight, to things that went on in those totalitarian terror states.
Tag: society
Enough Problems without Government
The threat posed by belief in government is greater in some areas but seems unavoidable everywhere, and that’s insane. Getting away from government is part of the reason the frontier has been historically popular, and without a frontier or other state-free spaces, there’s a ticking time bomb that can’t be defused. Society will eventually pay a price it can’t afford.
On “Adults in the Room”
I have serious doubts that there’s ever been an “adult in the room” at the White House.
John Bolton versus the International Criminal Court: A Simple Solution
Why is Bolton suddenly so concerned with protecting notions of “sovereignty” (he uses the word nine times) that the US government itself routinely ignores at its convenience, claiming global jurisdiction over individuals and organizations outside its own borders in matters ranging from the 17-year “war on terror” to its financial regulation and sanctions schemes?
Must Be “Opposite Day”
I read a blog post where the act of v*ting was characterized as “prosocial” behavior. Really?
“Happy” Blowback Day
We were told they hated us for our freedoms (instead of for the US government’s crimes). Now those freedoms are all but gone; attacked and shredded by the US government, continually, without a break for the past 17 years.
Why All The Socialism?
I’ve been listening to someone who deeply believes in government. Believes it has the best interest of the people at heart. Believes it has a place in society. Believes it is necessary and usually good, even if it sometimes messes up. It’s painful for me. The mental gymnastics it takes to believe such nonsense staggers my mind. It’s disappointing because I usually enjoy listening to Scott Adams, but his recent socialism kick is extremely misguided and dishonest.
On Government Parasitism
A clever and effective parasite will not only feed on its host as long as possible, but will do so in such a way that removing it will be fatal. As long as the parasite can stretch its tendrils into the most vulnerable places of its host, the host will be forced to sustain it if it wants to remain alive. The analogy that government is a parasite is oft made by libertarian types, and for very good reason.
Trump, Spinoza, and the Palestinian Refugees
Trump’s die-hard supporters like to say his extreme measures and tweets are merely opening moves in his art of deal-making. So let’s go with that: he’s holding five million desperate people hostage in order to convince the corrupt Palestinian Authority to take his deal. That’s reassuring.
Identity and Social Constructs
I pity most people who get lost in identity. These are people pigeonholing themselves. These are people who can’t accept themselves. These are people who can’t negotiate who they are and how they feel with society and so they abandon themselves and opt to become an artificial construct.