Totalitarian World

An old saying is that "It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled." This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain; however, despite this being something that would fit with his personality and beliefs, there is no evidence he actually said it. On the other hand, in 1647 Baltasar Gracian once wrote (translated into English from his native Spanish) "Every fool is thoroughly persuaded that he is in the right, and everyone who is all too firmly persuaded is a fool, and the more erroneous is his judgment the greater is the tenacity with which he holds it." Basically, once we humans decide something is true, it takes a mighty force to move us off that position. We become ego-invested in our beliefs. If we are proven wrong, what does that say about us after all? For most of us, our thoughts and emotions make up who we think we are.

So, what then about the United States, the western world, and the world in general? Most Americans have been told their whole life that the U.S. is a democracy, a republic, and land of the free. As Lee Greenwood told us, we're "proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free." We are free. We've been told that our whole lives. Which begs the question, what does it mean to be free? Free to choose which tv show to watch tonight? Which cereal we eat? Coke or pepsi? For most Americans we fall back on the 1st Amendment to the Constitution which "guarantees" five freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly, and to petition the government. FDR added to that list in his "Four Freedoms" speech. In addition to speech and religion, he added "freedom from want" and "freedom from fear" - which seem unattainable, if not communist in nature.

Here's a thought experiment. Picture a cow in a pasture. The pasture is on a large ranch - several square miles - so big in fact, that while in the middle you cannot even see the fences that surround the pasture. Is the cow free to roam? Well, yes, within the limits of the fences. The cow only knows its limits if it butts up against the edges of the ranch. But is the cow destined for slaughter? Oh yes, certainly.

Such is life in the West. We act like we're free, but sometimes we wonder onto the fences. The most stark example of this is Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, in much of the west rules were enforced like: you must stand 6-feet apart, you must wear a mask in public, and you could go on the dry sand and stay off the wet sand. Restaurants, churches, and small businesses were forced to close - some at the point of government guns. We were told when we could re-open, what activities we could participate in, and where we were "allowed" to roam. In what universe is this NOT totalitarian? Of course it is! But you might say, "there was a deadly virus!" Really? Mountains of data demonstrated that the virus was no worse than the flu for those under 60 and not suffering from other conditions like obesity. In fact, overall mortality for the Covid years barely ticked upwards at all, and no, it was not due to the stringent efforts to lock people up...I mean down.

Even if Covid was deadlier, does the government have the right to act as it did? Freedom of worship was squashed. The press was unanimously presenting the narrative (if you didn't you were deplatformed). Doctors were not allowed to present alternative treatments for fear of losing their licenses. You couldn't even have Thanksgiving with your family in many places, much less assemble with more than 2 people. The only protests that were allowed were BLM riots following the George Floyd debacle. So there you go, all 5 First Amendment freedoms were curtailed or eliminated in the threat of the "deadly virus."

The First Amendment does not equivocate. It does not provide exceptions to these important freedoms. The founding fathers knew that if you gave the government exceptions, the government would find them - constantly. If these things can be abandoned during emergencies, you will find yourself in a constant state of emergency. In Orwell's "1984" Oceania had always been at war with East Asia - ALWAYS. War powers allowed Big Brother total control.

Carry this logic out further, and you can see where it leads. During Covid, the government had to lock things down and limit freedoms for the good of the people. It was too dangerous. Now, we are constantly being told that climate change is an "existential threat" to the planet. EXISTENTIAL! Surely, the governments of the world would be justified in doing whatever is necessary to save the world, right? They may or may not, but we now know that there is a fence. This is why Alex Jones named his site "Prison Planet" - the whole world is the ranch. Alex Jones is a caricature, and an over-the-top show man. Some say he is a plant. Who knows, but the idea that governments seek absolute power is not an exaggeration. With the expansion of the tech-state, we have all invited Big Brother into our homes and phones.

We have all been shown there is a fence. Hopefully, we find a way to avoid the slaughter.