Monthly Archives: March 2013

Qot2C.37: Stewart Rhodes

civilwariscoming, oathkeepers

Quote of the 2.37 Centuries:

And it is this claim of power, more than anything else – more than Obama Care, more than attempts at further restrictions on guns – that has put us on a very clear, inevitable path to a civil war because it is an attempt to subject us to absolute despotism. All of the legal infrastructure is in place. The Supreme Court had a chance to put the martial law genie back in the bottle in the summer of 2004, when it heard the Hamdi case. But instead they rubber stamped this claimed power to apply the laws of war to the American people by declaring “[t]here is no bar to this Nation’s holding one of its own citizens as an enemy combatant.” That is when the Court crossed the Rubicon once and for all, and put us on the path to civil war, As I noted above, if a person can be held as an enemy combatant, they can also just be killed on sight.

A frightening conclusion, to be sure. But it’s hard to argue against it.

Over my 49 years on this Earth, I have grown weary of conspiratorial language like “Did you hear that the government is spying on people through their smoke detectors? Did you hear about the Skulls? Freemasons are trying to take over the world!” But what I have seen during both the current administration and the former is more and more out in the open statements from government actors themselves their willingness to actually be dictators, to plunge us into absolute despotism. And not just willingness, but eagerness. AG Holder’s unbelievable unwillingness to give Ted Cruz a straight answer of “NO!” when he asked whether Holder thought it was constitutional for the US government to kill a US citizen on US soil without due process was amazing and exposed him as the totalitarian he is, likely unwilling to constrain his boss by that inconvenient founding document, the only thing that gives either of them even a shred of legitimacy.

Stewart Rhodes, educated at Yale Law School, with reference to an important paper he wrote while at Yale, makes an excellent, convincing, but frightening case,  that there is no turning back.  RTWT.

Civil war is on the horizon.

Stay Dangerous, My Friends.

h/t David

Update:

This classic comes to mind:

The World is a Slightly Better Place: Another Tyrant is Dead

Uncategorized

A dictator is dead. Lee Doren, whom I hadn’t heard of until today, sums it up nicely here:

I’ve been to Venezuela twice, and I can tell you that it is no workers paradise. Yes, the land is breathtaking. And taking is what Hugo did and his fellow thugs do.

I arrived at work today to a repeating adverse weather announcement on the PA system exhorting everyone in the building to take cover in designated safe (presumably, but probably not truly weatherproof) area. I was about to get on the elevator and some random guy came up and said something like, “elevators aren’t safe…you not taking that seriously?” [pointing up, referring to the announcement] It’s not that I wasn’t taking it seriously, as I hesitated and didn’t get on, anyhow. My point in bringing it up is to highlight presumed authority. This guy held *no* authority within the building. He truly was random. And my sense was, “who the heck are you to me?” Among humans, there is a frightening willingness to obey ‘orders’, even from those who have no legitimate authority. In truth, no human has legitimate authority to rule over another. We only delegate certain powers that are revocable.

It’s worth restating what I wrote 2 1/2 years ago on the anniversary of the attacks by 19 adherents to an evil ideology:

We wound up running into an unexpected checkpoint, and while the leader of our group was outside the bus explaining what our purpose was, one of Hugo’s thugs got on board and stood at the head of the bus. He, very, very, slowly, scanned ever single passenger on the bus with his eyes and had a smile on his face that, although almost imperceptible, seemed to me to be rather gleeful. I believe he was gleeful that he is in a position of power to intimidate every civilian he encounters. I remember thinking to myself, “give me a break, you two-bit thug.” I don’t remember whether or not this Hugobot was even armed. It’s likely that he was, given the thugocracy we were in.

A short time after we arrived back in the states, I told this story, (including my thoughts during the experience), to a liberty-loving relative of mine and he rather seriously said, “Yeah, but if anybody was suspicious looking or defiant in any way, he would have just killed him.”

I’ve considered that caution since he said it, and the conclusion I’ve come to is, “So? I will not be intimidated.” In Hugoland, I’m sure I would have been killed had I acted too snotty or maybe made the shape of a gun with my finger and pointed it at him. And every situation requires its own analysis regarding when to resist, talk back, or comply. It was simply wise, and rather non-intrusive to comply in that situation and location. I’m am not interested in fighting that battle for Venezulans. My battle is here.

The world is a better place with one less tyrant. But all tyrants need some sort of popular support to thrive. Take away consent and you take away legitimacy and contribute to the eventual demise of the tyrant. Choose for yourself how will defy. Should our government continue down it’s current path (that’s been ongoing for at least 100 years, regardless of the party in control) I will choose the time, place, and nature of my defiance. But defy I will.

Stay Dangerous, My Friends.

h/t Michelle for the Venezuela confiscation link
h/t Weerd for the Lee Doren link