populism

POPULISM


Today we talk about two books. I briefly review one and use another to point to the insidious effects of populism. I could have titled the article “Why you are a supreme dumbass and will wave your flag vigorously to the point of harming your joint as the parade of Homeland Security tanks rumbles into town as you greet them as liberators from the Constitution which didn’t pay jack spit” but that seemed like an unwieldy handle. The first book up is “Holding Your Ground” by Prepper Press. This was a complimentary review copy and when I first opened and skimmed it I groaned loudly and cursed the gods for my love of free books. Christ on a rocket propelled cracker, the damn thing was talking about a worksheet. I hate books, lectures or concepts that use worksheets. And the thing was chock full of graphs and illustrations. I’m used to a concept being talked about. If you need a graph you haven’t done a very good job describing the idea. But since the publisher sent me a free book and even paid the postage, I had to uphold my end of the bargain and trudge through the thing. It wasn’t a light read, but it actually ended up impressing the heck out of me. As one who focuses almost exclusively on logistics, this book on all the whys and how-to’s of defending your supplies was very informative to me. A lot of “no duh” information, it also covered a lot of stuff I’d never had thought of and most likely might even save my life. As someone who has trudged through hundreds of survivalist books, I learned a lot of new stuff from this book. It might not be for everyone. If you’ve had hands on with defensive tactics you already know this stuff. And I’ll admit it is on the pricey side ( although few books aren’t these days ). But even if it isn’t cheap, it is educational. I would say it is the “go-to” book on defensive tactics ( and that is quite the concession from me, as the author is another AR worshipper ).

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I was in between post-apocalypse books so I decided to try “Republic” by Charles Sheehan-Miles. Before I say anything else, I did enjoy the heck out of the book just because it was so well written. But the subject matter is what really pisses me off. This isn’t your typical militia porn in that the good guys battle the evil federal guys on an individual basis. Rather, the stare secedes from the Union after the Homeland jackboots mow down unemployed factory workers staging a protest. What hacked me off no end was the weepy story about the main characters terminally ill son. If only the federal government hadn’t allowed the owner of the factory to move overseas, the guy would have kept his medical insurance and his son wouldn’t be dying. Also implied was that a drug user killed the guys wife in a robbery, and if he hadn’t been allowed to the mom would still be working and better medical care would be available. I don’t know if this was endorsing a harsher penalty against drug dealers, if he thought drugs should be legalized to lower the price so idiots could fry themselves cheaply without needing to steal, if the government was to blame for the economic conditions or if it was just a plot device to let you see how hard the dad had it.
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But you had absolutely no trouble knowing that the federal government was evil since they wouldn’t save the son with free medical care. That was spelled out pretty plain. Now this is where I have a problem with most peoples logic. They want a totally free economy, very low taxes, no federal government overstepping their bounds, and at the same time a big fat huge payday in the form of welfare. They want health care for the needy, retirement for the needy, jobs for the needy. We must be compassionate. But only for our favorite programs. The federals were accused of stealing money from the state, returning twenty cents on the dollar. So, it isn’t high taxes that piss people off. It is not getting more than they paid in! Our founding fathers had no problem with taxes. If it had remained in the colonies. They didn’t want the King to have their money. Ah, but if those calling for the blood of the peasants to be spilled could decide how to spend it, as long as it home grown tyranny, it was acceptable. For a populist, repression and taxes are okay, as long as their favorite programs are funded. A huge military industrial complex is okay, because soldiers are honorable and noble. Just no free college education ( unless it is West Point or ROTC ) because radical hippie scum abuse the system. No welfare, unless it is make work jobs with the military. Police abuse is okay, but no corporate abuse if it gets in the way of blue collar worker jobs. These idiots want all the rewards of big government with none of the drawbacks. They want government spending and compassion but only if they deem it acceptable.

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I have bad news for you. If you allow wish for big government, you get big government. And not just your favorite parts. You get the whole thing. You want a global control of energy production, but not the taxes that subsidize that? You want jobs for everyone, even if government created, but no IRS abuses that go with getting enough taxes to fund that? When you lie down with the devil, he doesn’t lovingly kiss your neck and cuddle you. He butt humps you, wipes himself off in your hair and pushes you out of bed when he is done. It isn’t that I think people are stupid. Most aren’t. But they sure act stupid with self deception and by applying convoluted logic to suit their pocketbooks. In the end, it catches up with them. You don’t like DHS detaining you without a trial? Well, you sure enjoyed that county civil service office worker position after getting free college through the GI Bill, didn’t you? Where in the Constitution does it allow the welfare state? Were does it say you can suspend that document if the cause is worthy? If “it’s for the children”? There ain’t no free lunch. But you think you got one, with your government job, your kids eating school lunches before they go to a free medical check-up. Because after all, we must be compassionate.

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