Tag: Constitution

Happy Warrior 3: Finding the Happy in the Warrior

Today, we have another guest post by River, which I hope you enjoy. It is well worth the read.

The political news continues to be relentlessly bad. Our enemies domestic, the Democrats in power, now openly Socialist, are going down their wishlist with but little resistance to the policies that will fundamentally transform our Republic into a totalitarian state. Our enemies foreign are preparing for war; worldwide economic collapse is imminent (whether through runaway inflation or stagflation, take your pick).

 So how to find the happy in the warrior? First, I think we have to accept that the first Republic is gone. Denying reality is the specialty of the other side; let’s not fall into that hole in the sand ourselves. It’s going to be very hard to face the reality of the depth of the hole we’ve fallen into. Figuring out how and why is useful, if depressing. Figuring out how to get out of it is where the happy lies.

 The question is how do we get from where we are now to the Second Republic.  There was a joke when the Iron Curtain fell and the Eastern Bloc countries were reinventing themselves, and we were sending all sorts of political and economic consultants over there: Why not give them our Constitution, we’re not using it…. The Constitution can and should be the bedrock of the Second Republic. 

 Also still applicable are the battlecries of the first American Revolution: “Taxation with Representation.” “Give me liberty, or give me death!”  “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”

 So the people who are framing the potential violence to come as a Civil War II are wrong. This is not about states rights, it’s not about continuing the vile practice of slavery. It’s about a return to the individual freedoms we as Americans have the right to enjoy. This is not CWII, it’s ARII.

 Of course, one of the reasons ARI worked was that it was a conservative revolution, that is, it wasn’t seeking to change the form of government, it was seeking to restore it from those who were changing the rules. So we have that on our side, because that’s what we’re trying to do, too.

 Another reason ARI succeeded was that the usurpers were, at that point, essentially foreigners. And another was that we were already self-governing, with all the machinery in place, and didn’t need control from afar.

 And that’s not quite the case for ARII. The people seeking to control us are homegrown, and all the machinery for governance is in their hands. However, we do have a perfectly good, if heretofore unreliable, antidote to their machinery, in the Republican party. The next step on the path is for as many of us as possible to join the party, support Trump’s efforts at reform, and provide some backbone and organization for the necessary changes to come.

 And at the same, we should be rooting out the influence of our foreign enemies. While the Republic’s usurpers are homegrown it will be a useful exercise for the revolutionaries of ARII to discover and make public the names of those who are subsidized (and/or controlled by threat of embarrassment or violence) by foreign influence. I’m talking hard proof, not rumors, but serious forensic accounting, serious investigative reporting. If it were easy, anybody could do it. We’ll need dedicated armchair warriors—in the most serious sense of the phrase–and we’ll need those who can protect them while they are at their work.

 This is a war that will be fought on many fronts, and almost assuredly the most important of them will not be the cartridge box, but the box that sits on your desk or in your pocket. This is a 21st century war, and information, and culture, will be just as important as brave men with guns. About which more later.

Some Quick Thoughts

Well, the RNC has ended and now the battle for the election begins. It may well turn into a literal battle, but one can hope for something better.

The DNC was extremely negative, filled with envy, anger, hate, and destruction. America is evil, sexist, racist, etc. No real policy, just stated desires to eliminate the Constitution (eliminate 2nd Amendment, restrict or eliminate the first, eliminate the Electoral College, etc.). No speaker offered hope, or grace, to America and especially to the “enemies of the state” who oppose their efforts to any degree. There was even a wink and nod to the ongoing violence, including rape and murder, that not a single speaker acknowledged.

By contrast, the RNC was a story of hope, of Grace, forgiveness, and of all the things that are good in and about America. Rather than fact checks by celebrities/media mouthpieces, the RNC brought in real people, many quite ordinary in respect to celebrity, to detail their experiences and how they overcame odds to raise themselves and others up. In so doing, they did a far more effective job of fact checking the DNC/media. The emphasis was on hope: that America does have problems, but they can be overcome by individuals and individuals working together. That America is indeed the land of opportunity and that equality does not mean equal outcomes, just the chance to grow and succeed if one works for it.

Another interesting contrast this morning is that at the DNC, there were peaceful demonstrations outside. Well, peaceful until the loving, tolerant, thugs attending came outside and began attacking people simply for holding different beliefs and/or supporting opposition candidates. Contrast that to the mobs brought in to literally attack those leaving events at the White House (and maybe elsewhere) in a scene right out of 1930s Germany (or Marxist paradise of your choice).

Make no mistake, the mob violence will get worse. Antifa, BLM, and others will step up their game. There is reason to believe that they have arms, along with the sophisticated communications gear (some of which appears to be military/covert op grade). Where did it come from? What else do they have? There are cells for agitprop and more in major cities, and Wisconsin shows that “peaceful demonstators” can be brought in from around the country rapidly at need.

Speaking of agitprop, the media is glossing over the agitprop that a man who shot himself rather than be captured by police was in fact shot by the police. This bit of agitprop set off yet more “mostly peaceful” demonstrations in Minneapolis…

Again, the violence will only escalate. The people behind the mobs are hoping for violence, especially if they can spin it to being the victims, rather than what happens being ordinary Citizens defending themselves and/or their property. Part of that spin (long planned) is to push the lie that this is happening on Trump’s watch and is his responsibility, rather than the deliberate abrogation of sworn duties by state and local officials who are encouraging and enabling the wanton destruction, rape, and murder taking place during the riots, CHAZ’s, etc.

At this point, it would almost be surprising if the mobs don’t attack voters and voting stations on election day. Again, one can hope but for me it is a faint hope.

The two conventions put things in stark contrast: An America that learns from the past, and moves forward to a better future for all; or, an America that rejects the Constitution and the philosophies that lie behind it to create misery for most while a Nomenklatura rules over the rubble in isolated splendor where the State is god.

Think, vote, and be prepared. Prepare for the worst because even if there is a landslide for Trump, the progressives have already said they will not accept the results. Then again, they haven’t accepted the results from 2016. Sadly, I have to agree with those who say that 2008 may be the last time there was a peaceful transfer of power in our history.

The Doctrine Of Persuasibility

Rational discourse and the Marketplace of Ideas is a philosophical cornerstone of our Republic. It is also under attack like never before as Progressives/Socialists (no real difference) can’t stand the concept of competing ideas. I want to pull some key points from pervious posts here that were mirrored at Blackfive.

Yet it was still a core part of my beliefs, but recently there was some discussion by author John Ringo that caught my attention. He recounted and amplified on the concept of persuasibility as presented by former professor and current author John Barnes. Dr. Barnes states categorically that much of his presentation is nothing more than classical rhetoric, but if so it is an excellent summation of same.

It also is a very clear example of what I feel rational discourse to be about. Rather than try to distill it down, I am with his permission going to quote the key points as he presented them to me.

“Where it is: The obligation of persuasibility is a moral and ethical obligation that flows from the enthymeme of reciprocity, which in turn is one of the quasi-logical structures of informal logic. It is therefore itself enthymemic, so it’s more firmly rooted than a mere preference or value (like the rules of baseball, driving on the right, “the Backstreet Boys suck”, “patriotism is good”, “all you need is love”) but less so than an empirical law or a mathematical theorem.

What it is: the obligation of persuasibility is the requirement that if you enter into a dialogue with another person or persons, your purpose will be not only to refute their arguments or to convert the arguer, but to consider their arguments as candidates for your own belief. That is, you will not reject the possibility that it may be your mind, rather than theirs, that needs changing; or in utilitarian terms, the greater good may be for you to be persuaded, rather than them.

What it ain’t: Although, obviously, if someone converts, they were persuasible, the other side’s not being persuaded does not prove that they violated the obligation of persuasibility — it may be, for example, that you made a poor case. It is perfectly possible for people to disagree throughout their entire lives while still upholding the obligation of persuasibility. (Indeed, it is likely).

Why it matters: because ethically, two people who have placed themselves under mutual obligation of persuasibility can co-participate in a political and social order peacefully and of their own free will. The obligation of persuasibility is thus a possibility condition for liberal democracy. The areas in which the obligation of persuasibility holds, within a given society, are the ones where society can be both individually free and socially ordered. Or, as I used to put it to my class, tell me how much of the obligation of persuasibility your society is willing to undertake, and I will tell you how much peace and freedom you’re going to get.”

To me, this is the heart of rational discourse as practiced in the colonies. It may or may not have been the correct interpretation of the continental philosophers of the day, but is built on the foundations laid by Aristotle and still taught at that time. The sad state of education today is a topic for another day.

That said, there are some things that will invalidate rational discourse/persuasibility. Again quoting Dr. Barnes, the things that do this are:

“1. communications aimed entirely at conversion; that character on your doorstep in the cheap suit, who is not there to find out what you might think about God or God’s nonexistence, but to deliver a single-sided message and try to knock down your objections. 2. communications aimed entirely at expression (or maybe “venting” is a better word, since the legal term ‘freedom of expression” covers much that is intended to be persuasive), e.g. shouting “N-word” into a bullhorn on a crowded city street, 3. communications whose purpose is to dismiss any need to listen to the other side (e.g. ad hominem, sponsor boycotts, a habit of characterizing the other side as morons or dupes), 4. therapizing speech (treating the other person’s opinion as a symptom of disease or vice), 5. listening solely to refute, 6. some kinds of extreme relativism (“that might be right for you but it’s not right for me”), 7. apathism (the position that the other sides’ distinctions are without differences).”

John Ringo also brought up a concept that deserves mention, because it is an area in which rational discourse/persuasibility has no bearing. This is the concept of a “religious” belief, i.e. one that is held on a matter of faith such that no amount of evidence, data, or other will change it. These are beliefs that can be core to a person, or are simply such that they will not be discussed or modified. A former co-worker and I discussed this point at some length in some rather fun discussions, and the term we had settled on to describe such was “prejudice.” For such beliefs are just that, they are subjects on which a preconceived opinion exists that is not subject to rational discussion or debate.

Note the seven types of invalidation. Then, look at current media reports and what is coming out of various political leaders at all levels. It really does say it all about the goals of current efforts. The freedoms we take for granted are under attack, and if either the first or second amendment falls, all fall. Keep this in mind over the next several months as efforts to eliminate free speech grow rapidly and potentially exponentially.

This effort to overthrow the American Revolution and the Constitution must be fought in the Marketplace of Ideas, in Congress, in legislatures, and even in council meetings. Heck, even in HOA and other organizational meetings. It must be fought in the courts. It, most of all, needs to be fought at the ballot box and efforts to ensure a free and fair election without fraud must be overwhelming. For if it fails at any of these levels, what happens will be a choice between slavery or watering the Tree of Liberty.

Choose wisely.

The Violent Racist Gathering That Wasn’t

Despite the best efforts of His Majesty’s Governor Northam, the Duke of Blackface (more commonly known by the Commoners of the the Commonwealth as “Racist Ralph”) and members of the media, the rally in Richmond was peaceful and did not feature bigotry (save by the media and progressive politicians).

Indeed, it was in most ways an idealized representation of what it means to be American. You had diversity of races, sexes, genders, and more.

This white supremacist (according to the media he is one) nuked several media memes and political talking points. Kudos to him.

This guy just cracked me up. He was the epitome of the humor and camaraderie I’ve seen in almost every video from the event.

Love the fact that some (am hearing that more did as well) LE came and joined in.

At least one agitator showed up. He was shown his ass and had it strongly suggested he get his ass, get on it, and get out of there. Again, Kudos to those who shut him down.

All this classic and ideal Americana has thrown Racist Ralph and members of the media into funk. Racist Ralph is still trying to smear those who came out. A typical example of media coverage is here. Here’s a good summary of the media malfeasance, though it is not complete IMO. There is another take on it here that is well worth the read. A good summation is found here. A very accurate piece about the media coverage can be found at America’s new newspaper of record (as opposed to the newspaper with a record).

BTW, loved this takedown of a bigot bloviating about the rally.

This group that was there were far more accurate than the media. And, finally, a huge difference between your typical progressive event and one like this one. Think the media would ever report that? No, I don’t think so either.

Dead, But…

I had thought to explore a different topic this morning, but Victor Davis Hanson hit on something important that I’ve mentioned before: the Republic is dead.

Frankly, I can make the case that it has been dead since Teddy was in the White House; but, an even better case can be made for FDR. What truly matters is that the Constitution, and the legal protections it offers the Citizens of the United States has been ignored or increasingly overridden over time.

Today, there is a huge bureaucracy that makes that of Rome look tame. Those same bureaucrats form “the resistance” that protects the bureaucracy and “business as usual” from those plebes who think they have anything to say about what the government does (or should do). That cheerfully and willingly violate huge swaths of the Constitution via illegal surveillance, fraud, direct and indirect attacks on the Citizenry, and more. That face little to no punishment if caught.

Yes, the Republic as it was established, and as at least some of us were taught still was, is dead.

But… Yes, there is a huge one here. The fact is, it is in our power to resuscitate it. We are still within the Golden Hour.

It means braving the howling mobs of cancel culture vultures, of taking physical risk of real violence from Antifa and others, and of being outed and destroyed by those desperate to destroy the body of the Constitution and the Republic for which it stands.

If a stand is made. If we demand and force our representatives to truly be our representatives; if we demand and compel via the ballot and the purse equal justice for all; if we demand and compel that our elected and unelected officials be held fully, completely, and legally responsible for their misdeeds, then we have a good shot at reviving the Constitution and the Republic.

This is a topic I want to explore further, but it is some food for thought. We have the paddles to the AED in our hands, through our votes, our funds, and our ability to communicate. What we have experienced in terms of wage growth, economy, employment, and even in innovation (courtesy of the repeal or creative re-writing of regulations), is just a taste of what we could have.

Getting that is up to us. It is up to each of us as an individual. Think about it.