- "There is nothing worse in this world than an enslaved
man who naively believes himself free, except, perhaps, trying to explain
to that same man his predicament. You can lay truth after truth before
his feet. You can qualify your every position with cold hard irrefutable
data. You can plead and scream and raise veritable hell, but before he
will ever listen, he must first become aware of his own dire circumstances.
As long as he views himself as "safe and secure", as long as
he imagines his chains to be wings, he will see no reason to question the
validity of the world around him, and he will certainly never invest himself
into changing his own deluded destiny.
-
- Unfortunately, there are many such men crawling and scraping
about here in what was once a land graced with a self sufficient and independently
minded public majority. The great lie that has been perpetuated in this
country over the past several decades is that we can defer our responsibilities
of vigilance and place our well being and our
-
- futures into the hands of others for the sake of "collective
efficiency", or leisure. We have been conditioned to live in a state
of constant indifference, a society which prizes compromise over principle
and steadfast resolve. Those who refuse to compromise that which is honorable
for the sake of ease and comfort are indicted as "extremist"
or even criminal. The idea of personal revolution is treated with discomfort,
and all we claim to stand for becomes muddled in a fog of inaction and
cynicism. As Americans, we have forgotten what it means to earn and protect
our own freedoms. We have forgotten that in liberty, there are standards
that must be defended." (1)
-
-
-
-
- k) This society has been content to simply take whatever
is handed down from a host of 'authoritarian dictates' in order not to
have to resist that which is in reality unthinkable. This is what has led
us directly to this coming lockdown with no visible 'way-out' for the common
people.
-
- "This, however, does not mean we cannot yet again
remember ourselves. The desire for freedom is as inborn and natural as
our own heartbeat, as our own breath. It is instinct. It cannot be erased
from within, only oppressed from without. The tide has always been against
tyranny, always, though we may find that hard to believe. If liberty was
not ingrained into our very DNA, humanity would have succumbed to bondage
and self destructed long ago. This is not the case. Stretching under the
surface of our superficial force-fed mainstream culture are the roots of
something real, and honest. Simmering beneath our so called "civilized"
veneer, many Americans are finally rediscovering their wild and defiant
origins. In the recent past we have been taught to feel ashamed of our
rebelliousness. Now, we are learning to hold it quite dear. For those of
us who are awake, and for those who are on the verge of understanding,
certain rules come into play that strengthen our stance and shield us from
folly. Liberty is not a self perpetuating social condition. It requires
guidelines, and effort, and sacrifice. Libertywill not survive without
our willingness to maintain it. If you are not ready and willing to fight
for your own independence, then you are not truly free."
-
- k) Part of the key to all of this is that "freedom"
is not free; and that real freedom is directly dependent upon fulfilling
the responsibilities that come with true free-choice.
-
- Rule 1: Never Take Anything For Granted
- "A lot of people today seem to have serious issues
with expectation and assumption; what we in the alternative media often
refer to as "normalcy bias". We have grown used to the idea of
abundance and relative safety. So much so, that we fail to notice when
our abundance and safety begin to disappear. We assume that the condition
of the world today will be the condition of the world tomorrow, and for
all time. In the U.S., we have even come to expect not only that our prosperity
and our freedom are inevitable, but that they will also increase exponentially
with each passing generation. This is a relatively new and narrow cultural
mindset likely caused by the explosion in industrial growth after WWII
which seemed to erase all memory of the Great Depression in our society,
leaving us with the belief that surely, our circumstances would never become
so desperate again."
-
- k) The only way most people could ever know about what
has happened and what will most likely continue to happen is if they had
been tracking this nightmare from the time they became aware and active
human beings. Had this been the case then this quagmire could never have
become the threat it is today. But that did not happen so we are at this
crossroads where we must choose between varying degrees of evil in order
to even begin changing thisnow entrenched course that threatens to engulf
the world in this global-wealth-transfer, in lock-step with global-martial-law,
until there is nothing left to control and everything on the earth has
reverted to the Dark Ages.
-
- "Those who are truly independent realize that nations,
no matter how affluent, can self destruct at a moment's notice, especially
when they fail to recognize their own weaknesses and confront their own
demons. Never suppose that that which is good and just will remain without
your own initiative. Never wait for others to fix those problems which
you could just as easily solve yourself. Never expect that freedoms won
cannot also be easily lost. Always prepare for the worst outcome, and strive
for the best outcome."
- Rule 2: Educate Yourself
- "Never become a useful idiot, or a waste of oxygen.
Being a part of the herd is nothing to be proud of. Strive for knowledge,
and thirst for the truth every moment of every day. Many of the things
we deem "important" in modern society are in the grand scheme
hollow attempts to fill our lives with distraction, only wasting time until
we finally bite the dust filled with regret. Pretending to further the
depth of one's life is not the same as actually doing so. I can't think
of anything more horrifying than becoming a man who rushes around frantically
every waking moment, but ultimately accomplishes nothing.
- Do not assume that you already have a tangible grasp
of the truth, especially if all your knowledge has been handed to you.
Instead, research that knowledge for yourself. Put that which you have
been taught to the test. Only in this way will you finally learn. Expand
your horizons. Learn something useful. Remove unnecessary distractions
for at least part of your day and focus on increasing your awareness of
the environment you live in. There are very few things in this world more
important than this, and self education should take precedence over everything
else except your family. "Lack of time" is no excuse for ignorance.
Make time! The ignorant are led. The knowledgeable lead themselves."
- Rule 3: Don't Be A Pansy**
- Liberty is not for the faint of heart. Emotional courage
is paramount to freedom, and it can be expressed to incredible effect by
even the most unlikely heroes. I've seen children with more courage and
tenacity than some full grown men. If one recognizes the gravity of the
situation we face as a people, if one understands the considerable danger
involved in the fall of a Republic to the depths of fear and autocracy,
but still does nothing, that person has not only failed the world, he has
also failed himself. "Making waves", or drawing the ire of "authority",
is the least of our worries. If you have utilized an objective eye, and
know you are right in your position, then there is no reason to fear criticism
from anyone.
-
- Sociopolitical action, nonconformity, noncompliance,
and self defense, are unavoidable aspects of a society that wishes to maintain
its freedoms. There is no way around it. If you are not willing to stick
your neck out and expose yourself to risk, you remove all chance of possible
gain. If you are a self proclaimed activist that refuses to sacrifice,
that refuses to struggle, then you have failed before you even began. Talk
must lead to balanced action. Never thumb your nose at the devil without
being ready to trade punches as well, or all is lost.
-
- k) This is where most of those who want to become involved
begin to stumble. While it is true that 'knowledge is power' that phrase
is true only if you 'act' upon that knowledge! The knowledge itself will
change nothing; hundreds of millions of people used to read the "newspapers"
every day; it was a ritual. Yet too often no one ever did anything about
what they supposedly "learned' from what they understood to be taking
place-so nothing ever changed, except to get increasingly worse.
-
- Rule 4: Stop Waiting For Others To Tell You What To Do
- "Independent people not only consider and implement
the solutions of others, they also work on their own. Complaints abound
lately in the Liberty Movement;
- "When is someone going to do something!? What are
YOU going to do about our predicament!?"
-
- This is the question of a slave, not a free man. A free
man asks, "What am I going to do about this predicament? What is MY
solution to the problem?" Therein is the key to liberty; decentralized
leadership and movements based on fluidity and spontaneity of action, instead
of a great mass of people standing around stiffly waiting for orders on
high, or a self styled messiah to engineer their world view. As soon as
you place your very initiative under the control of others, you have lost
the fight. Always consider the solid strategies of intelligent people,
and adopt them if they are useful, but do not remain idle because you are
too frightened to exert the effort to solve problems bigger than yourself.
Spectators only witness history, they do not make history."
-
- Rule 5: Cast Off What Is Unnecessary, Keep What Is Effective
- "Yes, I stole this rule from Bruce Lee, but it is
just as applicable to social movements and economic stability as it is
to the martial arts. Invasive debt creation, for instance, is a tool for
subversion, and no people forced to bear the burden of liabilities they
can never repay is free. Therefore, exorbitant debt must be avoided, or
cast off completely.
-
- In our personal lives, how many useless goods do we accumulate
on a daily basis, instead of useful items that we may one day desperately
need? How much of our life is spent accumulating garbage in order to keep
up with "socially acceptable" levels of consumer behavior? How
many of us cling to careers we hate in order to service our needless consumption?
The ability to prioritize must become a virtue once again, and, we all
need to shut off the cable television
- This rule also applies to governments. If a government
no longer fulfills its sworn duties to the people, and no longer serves
the purposes to which it was originally intended, then it too must be cast
off and replaced with one that does serve the people, or, it must be forced
to return to its inherent foundations. Today, this kind of talk is often
referred to as "extremism", or insurgency, no matter how correct
it might be, which brings us to our next rule"
-
-
- Rule 6: Ignore Establishment Labels
- "Tactical name calling is only effective if we actually
care what other people think of us. Labels like "homegrown terrorist",
"extremist", "doomer", or "conspiracy theorist",
are designed to shame people into self censorship. That is to say, they
pigeonhole movements and their participants into categories of public shame,
causing said movements to fear social reprisal. They are also meant to
forcefully assign "outsider" or "fringe" status to
particular political positions in order to marginalize and weaken the resolve
of those who hold them. Never mind that almost every powerful and honorable
cultural movement in history once started out as "fringe".
-
- Early in our lives, we are taught that it is far better
to be accepted, and to avoid standing out, even at the expense of our individualism.
Unfortunately, many adults never outgrow this childish belief, and thus
become vulnerable to tactics as absurd as simple ridicule. At bottom, being
slandered by a thieving bureaucracy infested with soulless parasites bent
on centralization at the expense of innocent human life is a bit laughable
(this goes for you too, SPLC). Globalists, along with their media cronies
and their think-tank sock puppets, will say ANYTHING to get what they want.
Empty words and false labels cannot stop the truth, or a movement driven
by the truth."
-
- Rule 7: Cynicism Is The Path To Defeat
- "It is good to be critical, but not to the point
of nihilism. America's past is riddled with mistakes, bad judgments, horrible
crimes, and downright stupidity; that doesn't mean that the principles
on which this country was founded are any less vital. We hear often from
cynics that humanity has become too stupid and complacent to do what is
right. However, stupidity and complacency are not inherent qualities. That's
an elitist fantasy with no basis in fact. Stupidity and complacency are
learned behaviors, and they can be unlearned. What IS inherent is our ability
to choose what path we will take. For adherents of liberty, we need only
remind people that they have this choice. We can whine and cry all day
long about how nobody pays attention and how there is no hope, or, we can
exhaust all options before throwing in the proverbial towel. We don't need
to "like" society the way it is, but we do need to recognize
the underlying potential of all people to become something much more than
what they currently are (I can't stand blind ignorance either, but I'm
certainly not ready to accept it as a fact of American life). Remember,
no fight is over until it is over."
-
- Rule 8: True Authority Is Derived From Respect That Is
Earned, Not Bought, Or Taken
- "A corrupt politician is just a criminal conman
in a nice suit. A law enforcement officer who refuses to follow Constitutional
Law is just a petty little tyrant in a black uniform. An economist who
knowingly skews data to fit his own political bias or to serve the political
biases of men above him is just a liar or an inept buffoon with an embossed
piece of paper from an expensive university. A lab scientist or doctor
who flubs experimentation to support the interests of the corporate world
rather than the needs of the public is just a quack in a white coat. All
too often, though, we find ourselves taking these cretins seriously all
because they talk the talk and wear the costume. They are just people,
and if they cannot do their jobs honestly, then they are useless people,
who deserve our disdain, not our respect. We should never allow such men
to wield positions of authority over us."
- Rule 9: Take It Personally
- "When someone tries to steal from you, hurt you,
or enslave you, unless you are some kind of nut, you take it pretty personally,
right? Why should it be any different when a government commits the same
grievances? Americans should be furious over the destruction of their economy,
their currency, their infrastructure, and their Constitutional freedoms!
They should be enraged over the endless wars overseas that are bankrupting
the nation. They should be bellowing to the rooftops over the cooption
of their political system by a slimy brood of corporate bankers. Is this
"extremist" behavior? Who cares!? If your anger is not visible
then it is not worth a damn. Don't just get active, get emotional! This
is about your life, and the lives of those you love. That's not to say
that we should take out our frustrations randomly and haphazardly, but
if we can't at least make known our anger over the misdeeds of government,
then what the hell is the point of calling ourselves free?"
-
- Rule 10: You Are The First And Last Line Of Defense
- "Like it our not, this is our job. We have inherited
a country on the verge of disaster, and we are tasked with cleaning it
up, otherwise, there will be little left to pass on. We do not get to bask
in illusory prosperity for the rest of our days. We do not get to feed
off the entitlement program trough until we are fat and contented. We are
not going to retain our rights without blood, sweat, and tears. We will
not be building magical floating cities in the clouds or skyscrapers on
Mars. We will NOT be remembered fondly as members of some fantastical "golden
era".
-
- We have been thrust into the muck and the mire. We are
being molded as the lost children of an age better forgotten. We have been
slapped in the face with a dilemma so volatile and so incredible it may
one day be called the greatest crisis of all time. We have drawn the short
straw. This could be viewed as some terrible doom. It could be held as
a star crossed act of ferocious fate. We could fall to our knees and lament
with despair, overcome with woe at our unbearable lot. But, this would
be in violation of rule #3, and nobody wants to be a sobbing pansy. On
the contrary, every "bad luck generation" is only so if they
refuse to see the great fortune at their fingertips; if they refuse to
seize the moment and conquer the giants of their day. The greater the hardship,
the greater the enemy, the greater the heroes. We are faced with possibly
the most unrelenting antagonists and the most treacherous obstacles in
recent memory, or even distant memory. In the same spark of confrontation,
we are also presented with unparalleled opportunity to change the course
of the world forever. Whether or not we succeed, is entirely up to us."
(1)
-
- k) This excellent overview from Brandon Smith should
come to be recognized as the pivotal essential outline for most of what
this country has either never learned or has forgotten about almost entirely.
America really is about more than just money, influence and power. We have
made 'American Life' into all the short-cuts to these non-essentials, to
justify petty and
- completely transitory 'wants' that in the end have nothing
to do with the real needs that must be met in any authentic life that is
actually being lived. As Brandon says: "Whether or not we succeed,
is entirely up to us."
-
- kirwanstudios@sbcglobal.net
-
- 1) Brandon Smith The Essential rules of Liberty
- http://beforeitsnews.com/story/788/634/Brandon_Smith:_The_Essential_Rules_Of_Liberty.html
|
