A reason, A fantasy, A search

One of the things I have been pondering for, ohh…about my whole life, is, as Austin Powers famously (to me) says…”What’s it all mean?”.

Today, on television, public television, I found myself saying outloud that it might be a good idea to form a large group and withhold taxes from the government if the government refuses to acknowledge my (our) right to a “redress of grievances” as detailed in Amendment number uno (that’s 1) of our Constitution.  Considering that we live in a world where once on camera, always on camera and considering that I am aware of this fact…this was a big step for me, an almost reluctant step into the ring of civil and not so civil discourse.  And I find myself thinking, what have I done?  How dare I speak up against the almighty government?  How dare I want things to be different?  How dare I think that I have the responsibility of luxury!  How dare I question the norm!

I am writing this blog and keeping it private for now.  I intend to document my life from this day forth here, or at least my life as it applies to my belief that we, as humans, can and should be much better than we are.  I want to document my desire to change the system, no matter how realistic, nothing happens without someone first starting somewhere, somehow…

I am not sure what is going to happen but I know that I can no longer support this thing that we call government but which is really a cabal of crooked, greed loving, power-hungry, criminals (with some, but not many exceptions).  Somehow I have awoken to in a place I don’t know and somehow there is a never ending crisis that is being perpetuated by the powers that be with very little resistance.  Who are these cowards that think it’s revolutionary to demand more taxes as a solution?  Who are these cowards that think that the difficult thing is balancing the budget, when really the difficult thing is having a responsible budget in the first place?  Who are these jokers that think that after continually usurping power from every available spot, for years and years, that they can now claim that we haven’t been mending our infrastructure, our borders, our education system or our financial system and we now must print play money, as we have been doing all along, to try to “fix” the problem.  The scope of this intrusion, this imposition, this violation of human, civil and individual rights is almost impossible to encompass in writing.  Bottom line…I withdraw my support!

I do not think this is the best we can do.  I refuse that government is the only or even the best answer and I refuse the short sighted, arrogant, ignorant, group think that continues to push more and bigger controls onto the backs of individual people.  I subscribe to the fact that each human being is created free and each human being is the best judge of what is right or wrong.  I refuse to accept that what is needed is more laws and more regulation and submit that what is needed are more honest, integrous people to uphold and enforce the laws that we already have.  I believe that there are two foundational forms of thinking and they are as follows:  You either believe that an individual is the best judge of what is right for him/her OR you believe that someone else or something else other than the individual is the best judge for that individual.  From that core belief all else is formed.  No system is perfect and we should not expect perfection in this day of spiritual and ethical darkness, not yet.  But I believe in individual sovereignty, I believe that the individual is the source of all things good and evil in the world and that we must have a system that acknowledges that duality and is able to be absent to allow the good to flourish and to be present to allow the bad to face justice.  Any system that attempts to place itself above the individual is corrupt and evil by nature, whether or not the people involved in that system may be, and they may be.

So in a way I have proclaimed today that I do not support, I no longer support this system, or as the late, great Peter Tosh was fond of saying, this “shitstem”.  As Americans, as the most free people in the history of the world, we can do better and we must and if more people don’t stand up we will have a continuation of the darkness that we already see now.  Bear in mind that either path will not be easy, both will be frought with significant hardship, the point to remember is … and this is the main point… Do you want our pain to be temporary or forever?  Do you want our pain to be an investment in the future, a future of freedom or simply a down payment on more pain to come?

It will not be easy at all.  I have a wife who we have just learned is pregnant.  I made the decision to stand up in a more vocal way one day before hearing from my wife that she was with baby! I cannot endanger the life of my child and I cannot help but wonder, by doing nothing, am I endangering my child more?  This is just the beginning I believe.  But I have an answer, I have an answer but I don’t know if I have the courage to achieve it.  The answer is:

Many many many people standing up and withdrawing their support from our government.  So many people that the government is forced to submit to our will, forced to, as the servant government they are.  This is not my answer personally, it’s is not native to me, but it certainly makes all the sense in the world.  Vermont is a place that could achieve results.  We have local control.  We have local communications…But not for long…not for long if we don’t stand up to the monster that is posing as our federal government.

And as I begin to ramble…I notice and I say good night and good luck and, as the Zen Master said to the little boy in response to the little boy asking if it was a good thing…”we’ll see”.

In truth

Damon Brink