A Reminder From Eighteen Months Ago

From here, as the 2010 "American democracy theatre" starts to spin towards full throttle:

To reiterate, we have reached the point in this country, I believe, where the electoral power of the following societal segments:

- government workers at the local, state, and Federal level;

- "private industry" workers whose jobs are dependent on continually-expanding government spending;

- government dependents totally reliant upon the State for housing, sustenance, and other basics;

- millions of illegal aliens transmuted into "undocumented voters" to further the statists' schemes; and

- individuals whose so-called "thinking" is so befogged by the combination of government school indoctrination and mainstream media propaganda that the concepts of freedom and private property are almost literally unthinkable

is so great as to render the existing political processes moot for anyone who believes in individual freedom and limited government.

We simply do not have the votes.

The indispensable James Bovard has more on that theme here.

Do you understand yet?

Overestimationalism

Tying nicely to the "Reprise" post below, this essay from John Galt's Shenandoah speaks to the dangers of believing one's own press.

Read it all, but here's a taste:

***
...The executive order that President Obama signed above, directly from the White House pages by the way, shows the extent of just how far and how much the people in charge in Washington, D.C. are beginning to overplay their hands. The only reason for signing this particular Executive Order is to allow the International Criminal Court in the Hague to issue arrest warrants for American citizens, including soldiers, and bring them to trial using the powers of INTERPOL, as their representatives on our homeland. The President brags about the passage in the first quote above being as important and large as the Social Security Act passed under FDR and completely understands how that has managed to enslave decades of American workers to the idea that they would always have a sufficient retirement thanks to the government, while at the same time overestimating the value of this retirement when the day comes. They failed to understand the concept of monetary degradation where inflation destroys their “retirement program” faster than they can add to it or multiply its effectiveness thanks to the very same government which created Social Security.

This President is overestimating and overplaying his hand and the blow back is about to begin.

Meanwhile, across the aisle, the smug Republicans are content to think they have successfully elicited the support to the Tea Party Movement, the 9-12ers, along with disaffected American Conservatives and they are planning to nominate a lot of the same type of slugs that were rejected in the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 elections, failing once again to learn the lessons of history. Their lazy leadership is one again trying to use the “we’re not them” as their only serious issue in their national platform. Thus once again, they are engaged in the historic mistake of assuming that conservative and Constitutionalist voters are not of principle, the same mistake they made with the nomination of McCain, and will find that after the 2010 elections, the only gains will be in those areas where true Reagan/Goldwater style conservatives ran for office.

The Republican Party and their allies are overestimating their relevance to this current, critical and possibly final turning point in American history...
***

There is no way out but through.

And actually getting through will require each individual American to stop deceiving himself or herself about the dangers we face.

The violated corpses of today's hopeful Pollyannas will be found, strangled and rotting, in history's ditch.

Observe, orient, decide, and act.

And do it faster than the other guy.

Audentes fortuna iuvat.

Reprise on 'When to Shoot The Colonels'

Got a good deal of animated reaction to this post, including this anonymous comment earlier today:

"I can tell you that no one in the .mil (current or former) -- no one -- with whom I have discussed this topic believes that there won't be a significant number of Oath Breakers.

Those same folks assured me that there will be a significant number of Oath Keepers as well."

Yep, there will be both.

Problem is, the article you posted does not recognize that reality. He paints a picture of ALL military ALWAYS gunning us down no matter what we do.

"Until such time, it behooves everyone to be realistic and open-minded about what the future will bring."

Exactly why you should just write up your own REALISTIC balanced analysis, like you just did, rather than posting an unrealistic, innacurate, totally defeatist article by an author who has an incentive to be "controversial" to drum up book sales.

We trust you. We don't necessarily trust monkey man author.

January 5, 2010 7:21 PM
Anonymous said...

Or at least post your own analysis right below the article providing the balance this subject deserves. Nothing is ever so black and white as Monkey Starver makes it out to be.

Here's my take, in several parts:

1) I am not .mil, neither former or current. I am therefore pretty darned ignorant of military culture, be it enlisted, NCO, or officer.

2) I yield to no one in my admiration, respect, and support of Oath Keepers, its members, and its mission. Its function as an educational organization in the pre-conflict environment is indispensable, and its C4I (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence) interruption function once certain unconstitutional orders are given may well be decisive, if there are enough actual Oath Keepers come the issuance of those orders.

Therefore, if you want freedom to have the best chance, help spread the Oath Keepers message and support its mission.

3) Now, using the same generic "oath breakers (OB)" and "oath keepers (OK)" nomenclature from the comment string above, it is reasonable, I believe, to assume that there will be a very large (>50%) percentage of Constitutionally-sworn non-military personnel (legislators, executive branch leaders, lawyers, judges, and law enforcement officers) at the Federal, state, and local levels who will continue to violate the Constitution. These OBs are responsible for, among other things, the unconstitutional bankster-bailout of the 2008 TARP plan, the federalization of GM and Chrysler, the 2009 stimulus I program, and the upcoming nationalization of health care. Once the legislative OBs enact each of these violations of the Federal government's basic charter, executive branch OBs sign the bills into law and then enforce those laws, while their oath-breaking comrades in the judicial branch affirm each law's alleged "constitutionality". Ditto for the FedGov's analogues at the state/local/tribal levels.

In addition to their role as Constitutional violators via impermissible legislation, these same Congressional OBs control the budgets of all branches of the military via the House and Senate armed services committees. At the state and local levels, legislative OBs fund the budget of local law enforcement/oath-breaking agencies.

4) That same Congressional purse power also affects the oath-keeping probability of every department in the Federal bureaucracy, as well as much of state and local government activity. Look around your home jurisdiction and ask yourself honestly how many government functionaries -- at the Federal, state, local, and tribal levels -- are ready, willing, and able to behave in accordance with the Constitution's limitations, as written, on legitimate government activity.

Be honest with yourself -- is it 20%? 10%? Less? More?

And if you say more, be prepared to give supporting hard data in chapter and verse, because I am calling Bravo-Sierra in advance on any such claim.

5) Now, does the fact that the corrupt Congress and the corrupt state legislatures have a massive proportion of our nation -- including the military -- by the financial short hairs mean that all is lost, even given that Congress is in the thrall of their party comrade, the socialist Comrade Soetero?

No, not at all. But it does mean that we have one hell of a problem, regardless of the clothes and insignia worn by each of us.

I have never said, nor would I ever say, that every law enforcement officer and every prosecuting lawyer is an oath breaker. But, based on my law enforcement experience in metropolitan New York, I am willing to bet that 50% or more will act unconstitutionally against their fellow citizens come the Crunch.

They are doing so today across the country in Federal investigations and prosecutions, as are their state and local peers in New York, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey, and elsewhere. Why would any of these law-and-order mooks change as the ratchet tightens and their government-pensioned jobs become even more secure?

That is one hell of a problem.

Conceding again my ignorance of American military culture, I too would never say that all -- or even most -- currently-serving military personnel will follow unconstitutional orders. Given what it takes to join and stay in the military, that actual ratio of OK to OB may go as high, as some have claimed, as 80/20.

But ask yourself these questions as you ponder the OK/OB ratio:

-- How many Navy ships will remain under civilian command once unconstitutional orders are given?

-- How many fixed-wing Air Force aircraft will remain under civilian command under those conditions?

-- How many rotary Army aircraft?

-- How much armor?

-- How much artillery, both smooth-bored and rifled?

-- How much of the nation's CBRN (chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear) arsenal?

-- How many support, communications, medical, and intelligence assets?

-- How many individual and how many crew-served automatic weapons?

-- How much ammunition?

-- How much food?

-- How much other logistics?

-- How many personnel?

In other words, assuming bad things happen and illegal orders are given, what amount of force will be able to be projected by the Bad People against the side of freedom?

I submit that the honest answers to those questions pose one hell of a problem, even if the OK/OB ratio is 80/20.

Once again, I am not suggesting any freedom advocate roll over onto his back, wet himself, and quiver. What I am suggesting is that people begin to wrap their brains around the actual size of the problems that we confront.

That was the rationale behind posting the "Colonels" essay. Can anyone, specifically and in detail, refute Baugh's premise that current military education at all levels does not adequately address the Constitutional issues to be faced by today's soldiers/Marines/airmen/sailors?

If so, I would be more than happy to publish that rebuttal.

It is a classic strategic planning error to simply dismiss contingencies that are unpleasant or difficult to counter, and I fear that many patriots are falling into the same trap. In my not-so-humble opinion, the worst possible thing that the FreeFor could do is to assume that major elements of the .mil will not support the executive branch that commands it and the legislative branch that funds it. Notwithstanding the stellar character of all of the .mil folks that each of us know, we simply will not know which way the armed services -- by branch and as a whole -- will jump until the event itself.

Will individual soldiers/Marines/airmen/sailors defy illegal orders?

You bet.

Will many, from all ranks, resign or desert?

You bet. A whole lot.

Will others "strike in place" or sabotage illegal actions by the chain of command?

And how.

Will senior officers relieve subordinates and keep doing so until they find someone who will execute illegal orders?

Bet on it.

Will there be enlisted personnel, NCOs, and officers who place job security and advancement over fidelity to the Constitutional oath?

Sadly, yes.

And absent a lot more effective education to today's serving military and police on the topics of duty, obedience, and freedom, that fact is not going to change.

Please understand -- this is neither a theoretical nor a future consideration.

Unconstitutional legislation has been passed by this and prior Congresses, and signed into law by both the current and former Presidents. Unconstitutional executive orders have also been signed by this and former Presidents.

All of these unconstitutional laws and orders remain on the books today, administered and enforced by the executive branch, which also commands the armed forces.

More unconstitutional legislation and executive orders will be forthcoming in the near future.

Those laws and orders will also be enforced by agents of the executive branch and approved by the judicial branch.

To date, American citizens both in uniform and in mufti have done little or nothing but talk in opposition to this continuing treachery.

Why wouldn't Leviathan continue on the same course and speed?

Why indeed?

Ask Michael New.

Leviathan ruined him over a powder-blue hat.

What do you think Leviathan's minions will do in the near future to a young enlisted man who refuses to stand a post at an "anti-terrorist" roadblock in rural Georgia?

UPDATE 5 JANUARY 2010 2327 EST: Go immediately and read Vanderboegh's essay in response to Baugh's article, which features commentary by another service academy graduate and career officer.

What’s Bad for America is Good for the Obama Gang

Read this piece from Vanderleun, which begins:

There's a hole in your wisdom,
a hole in your sky.
Two holes in your head
where the light's supposed to get by.

Time to lock and load.
Time to get control.
Time to search the soul
And start again.
-- Bob Seger

It alarms and amuses me to listen to the vast conservative choir sing the “Hallelujah Obama’s Overreached! Chorus” from this year’s “Way New Messiah.” Many among the opposition seem to believe that “the way things are going” it is only a matter of less than a year before a wised-up electorate corrects their collective miasma of 2008 and throws the bums out. This will occur, they believe, because economic and social conditions in America will inevitably continue to worsen. They’re right about what’s about to happen but wrong about the outcome...

Read the rest.

The Flag of the Three Percent Flies (Literally) Over Afghanistan

(click to enlarge)

This just in from Afghanistan:

Gentlemen,

I received your package in the mail the other day, I want to thank all of you for your generosity. I have never seen grown men go so nuts over coffee. I have handed out most of the patches and we have been wearing them while were flying (obviously can't wear them on our uniforms because old 1SG's get upset). I have attached a picture of us flying the 3% flag through the Mountains of Afghanistan.

Once again thank you for all of your support,

CW2 (Redacted)

(click to enlarge)

When To Shoot The Colonels

A sobering essay by former Marine officer Tom Baugh, author of Starving the Monkeys, which begins:

"At ease, Marines, and be seated" orders the gruff Gunnery Sergeant. "Now turn to Chapter 8 in your Military Constitutional Law text," he continues. "Today we discuss the appropriate conditions for shooting a colonel who is issuing an order which would violate the Constitutional rights of American citizens. Our first scenario involves gun seizures..."

Absurd, isn't it, to think that this sort of education is conducted among our armed forces? Yet, millions of citizens indulge this unspoken fantasy each time they imagine that the military exists to preserve our freedoms.

When I was at the Naval Academy in the mid-80s, and a Marine officer in the late 1980s and early 1990s, discussion of such issues was considered taboo. One fellow junior officer even scoffed that "Congress can change that Constitution any time they like." This isn't to say that there wasn't an undercurrent among most of the warfighters that issues such as gun control and preservation freedom of speech might one day pose a crisis of command. Yet this undercurrent was kept carefully concealed, and tended to become a more and more uncomfortable subject as the ranks of one's company became more elevated. Fortunately, with the Soviets and the threat of global thermonuclear war, these issues seemed far removed and safe from serious discussion.

Not so today. In the aftermath of Katrina, armed and uniformed soldiers patrolled the streets and disarmed Americans. Some uniformed soldiers were captured on film lamenting that "I can't believe that we're doing this to Americans." Yet, they did it anyway, lamentations notwithstanding. But why?

To answer that, we need to understand the principles of military command and education. For veterans, this discussion is unnecessary. For the vast number of non-veterans, especially those who harbor that most dangerous and ill-advised fantasy of a Constitutionally-aware military, this discussion is essential to survival...

Read the rest.

And think about it hard.

PS: Baugh's book on how to survive and win the current struggle is available here.

UPDATE 5 DECEMBER 2010 2011 EST: See also this reprise on this theme.

The Cant of Thieves

Thanks to reader DW for this (rated 'adult' for a few f-bombs) link from The Smallest Minority, whose proprietor notes as follows:

My Boomershoot buddy emailed me a link to this one; Jaded Haven, The Cant of Thieves:

I do believe the remnant landscapes of true America, ones that still marginally graced my existence through a sixties childhood, are a thing of the past. The cant of thieves now dominates our times. Men and woman have forgotten their faces, the history of our people has been reduced to nothing, there is no pride in our forefather’s wisdom, sacrifice or common sense. We live like animals, succored on airwaves and tweets, disposable goods and the graft of elected vultures that we’ve elevated to iconic status. Historical ignorance has become a point of pride in the man on the street.

Our lives skim the surface, searching for depth in the fleeting adulation of our collection of goods, wives and bank balances. God lies in a Mercedes-Benz, a velvet Ivy league degree or a great set of tanned, plastic tits.

READ. IT. ALL. I am reminded of Alexander Solzhenitsyn:

In a state of psychological weakness, weapons become a burden for the capitulating side. To defend oneself, one must also be ready to die; there is little such readiness in a society raised in the cult of material well-being. Nothing is left, then, but concessions, attempts to gain time and betrayal.

Damn, but I love a well-crafted rant. Daphne hits one out of the park.

It's a fine introduction to a theme you'll see developed here this year:

What does the intelligent man or woman do when

- they are surrounded by thieves, murderers, and scum,

- there's no place left to run, and

- one's moral code forbids joining the autogenocidal horde?

Foreigners Send a Message: Your Debt Instruments Suck

John Galt's Shenandoah shows once again, in both text and graphs, why it should be a daily stop on your blog rounds.

Read it all, but here's my fave graf:

***
...What do the foreigners know that the Bubbleconomists will not admit? Perhaps it is a complete and total distrust of the United States Congress and Executive branches to reign in spending? Maybe it is the realization that the Federal Reserve will print and damned to all those who save or invest in the U.S. as long as there is no sign of economic or political unrest to threaten their throne? Or maybe it is the truth seeping out into the markets that the United States is going to have to pay a substantially higher price as we pile on program after program, stimulus after stimulus and bailout after bailout like oh, you know the UNLIMITED guarantee for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wheeled out after the market close on Christmas Eve while most of us were enjoying egg nog, Christmas cheer and that horribly spiked punch that I swear my cat drank and drove home like a bad kitty afterward...
***

Denninger: Post-Mortem on '09 Predictions and New 2010 Forecast

Take the time to read it all.

As for me, I thank every WRSA contributor, commenter, and reader from the bottom of my heart. You good people make this place what it is.

And I predict a heckuva ride on 2010. So does Malone Vandam.

Stay low, keep moving, and try to smile.

Audentes fortuna iuvat.