(Part 1 of this series (https://steemit.com/anarchy/@larkenrose/time-honored-tyrannt-part-1-of-3) began looking at ways in which people are gradually trained over time to put up with authoritarian injustices that they would never accept all at once. The first example was the slow but dramatic spread in both the levels and the different kinds of “taxation,” but there are many more examples.)
2 - Prohibition of victimless habits.
Next on the list is the violent regulation and prohibition of victimless habits. This is actually closely related to the first item, since “taxation” has often been the means by which the state tries to attack various “vices.”
If some habit, even a bad habit, is widespread and societally accepted, the state cannot just outlaw it one day. It takes a prolonged propaganda campaign, such as was seen with the demonization of alcohol, and alcohol-drinkers, leading up to federal alcohol prohibition. (And when I say “demonization,” I mean it quite literally, since the term “demon rum” was used by the prohibitionists.)
Ultimately, after much violence, both from “law enforcement” and from (other) organized crime (which often acted in collusion), that ploy failed. Too many people saw the prohibition as worse than the “vice,” the “laws” became unenforceable, and then the ruling class had to repeal prohibition just to save face (after the effort was already doomed).
Then they immediately went about trying to demonize something else, to find a new excuse for intrusive control and state violence. Then, of course, they started targeting marijuana, using laughably lame propaganda like “Reefer Madness,” as an excuse to build a new authoritarian agenda. And, of course, they have gone after all sorts of other “narcotics” as well.
But the point here is that they could never have done any of it in one step, out of the blue. It always had to be a gradual propaganda campaign, a gradual increase of authoritarian power, intrusiveness, surveillance, etc., and a gradual whittling away of individual privacy and other rights. For example, if the U.S. “government” decided, today, to declare all alcohol “illegal,” the chances of them enforcing that would be exactly 0% (and the chance of an immediate violent revolution would be about 99%).
The pattern is predictable with all “vice” laws: first they merely “tax” it, then they get violent against those who try to evade those “taxes,” then they try to heavily regulate it (such as requiring a license, or a prescription, to possess it), then prohibiting it entirely.
3 - Searches and interrogations.
Searching for “narcotics,” or evidence of other victimless “crimes,” has also often been the excuse for ever-increasing surveillance, detentions, searches and interrogations of people. Once upon a time, it was unheard of for “law enforcers” in the U.S. to just stop people at random (whether they are walking, riding or driving) in order to demand their papers, to demand to know where they are going and what they are doing, and to search their persons and vehicles.
Again, people have to be conditioned over time to accept such mistreatment. And it has worked so well that now many of the victims of such abuse zealously defend the practice, saying how willing they are—to the point of being proud—to be treated like criminals, because, they say, “I have nothing to hide.”
Random “border checkpoints” (many of which are not even at the border), the level of groping and privacy violations committed at airports, as well as some “stop and frisk” policies, where people are detained, questioned and searched without a shred of probable cause to think they have committed a crime, would have seemed outrageous to almost everyone a few short decades ago. But every time the intrusiveness has increased, the livestock has been told that it was to “keep them safe,” so they put up with it. But again, had the ruling class attempted to impose such things in one shot, a hundred years ago, it would have immediately triggered a violent backlash.
(It’s worth mentioning that “laws” against victimless “crimes”—e.g., drugs, gambling, prostitution—have often served as the excuse for such searches and interrogations. If, in contrast, there were only laws against assault, theft, murder (i.e., actual crimes, that have actual victims), there wouldn’t even be a flimsy excuse for randomly detaining people. “We’re checking for drugs” sounds at least slightly less ridiculous than “We’re stopping people at random to ask if they have murdered anyone,” although in reality it is no more legitimate or moral. And of course, “protecting against terrorism” is also a popular excuse these days.)
4 - Restrictions on movement.
Most Americans now accept the requirement to have a driver’s license as obviously necessary and legitimate. But again, that was not always the case. In fact, at one point it would have seemed ridiculous for someone to suggest that people should need “government”-issued written permission just to travel around.
Likewise, for most of this country’s history, no “passport” was required to enter or leave the U.S. But now being stopped by agents of the state, asked to prove who you are, where you’re going, for how long, for what purpose, etc.—such treatment is accepted by most as important and righteous, especially when crossing national borders, but sometimes even when moving around inside the country.
Again, getting people to be treated like criminals takes gradual conditioning. Now in many places armed thugs of the state will stop and question everyone driving down a road, in the name of “regulatory checkpoints” (to check driver’s license and vehicle registration), “border checkpoints” (to question people about their nationality and citizenship) and “sobriety checkpoints” (in the name of combating drunk driving).
And while people have become accustomed to these things, and most are now accepting of such things, these are no more valid than if the state started imposing “murderer checkpoints,” stopping people at random to ask if they had murdered anyone, without any reason at all to think that they had. All random “checkpoints” are violations of both the Fourth Amendment (warrantless, suspicionless searches and seizures) and the Fifth Amendment (being forced to testify against one’s self).
To stop someone, using threats of violence, just for going down the road, and to demand that the person prove his own innocence, should be seen as extremely offensive and unjust to anyone who believes in human liberty. And yet the American livestock have been trained to meekly obey and comply with such Nazi-esque “show me zee papers” treatment in all sorts of places now. And again, anyone who didn’t “cooperate” with their own mistreatment is now seen by most Americans as a scofflaw and trouble-maker, deserving of whatever the thugs of the state do to him.
(In the third and final part of this series, we will see how authoritarian control has slowly crept into almost every aspect of everyone’s lives, despite the fact that the human livestock still refer to the domain of their captors as “the land of the free.”)
(Larken Rose is a speaker, author and activist, having advocated the principles of non-aggression, self-ownership and a stateless, voluntary society for over twenty years. Donations to help support his articles, videos and other projects can be made by PayPal to "[email protected]" or by Bitcoin to 13xVLRidonzTHeJCUPZDaFH6dar3UTx5js.)
It is like tiny spider silk tying a person down. One thread at a time. Until he can't move.
Each thread is nothing, but they make hundreds of them each year. And each one takes years of court work to get removed.
If I had 51% of the congress as my personal friends, we would stop any new bills, and start reviewing old laws. This would take us years, unless we blanket did away with all laws between 1912 and 2012. And so, I do not feel this is a possible solution. Which leaves burning it all down, also not so good.
Keep em' comming Larken, this is good stuff for defending true freedom & liberty, agora!
Well written. You are doing a great job. Thanks for sharing @larkenrose
Watching them move to outlaw kratom is almost funny... except that it will cause so much needless suffering. It is helping oxycodone patients get free of the Pharma poison, so it must be STOPPED!
My 'practical' solution is to refuse a bag check where it is newly introduced 'to protect us' - e.g. at the train station. At that point it is treated as a criminal trespass issue by the train company i.e. I am trespassing at the station because they withdraw consent to travel for anyone who doesn't comply with their bye-laws. Criminal trespass attracts sentences of a few months + 6 months for the inevitable contempt of court that will follow. That's a massive loss of freedom simply for standing ground on a fundamental right (privacy) over a relatively trivial issue (taking a train). My point is that no matter how much we may agree with Larken (I do), we might ask ourselves what are we going to do when WE are asked to agree to a search (and we know the full implications of refusing, according to the 'law')?
"...That's a massive loss of freedom simply for standing ground on a fundamental right..." Yes. You are correct. And perhaps the most important thing that could provide you a "solution" is that you/we try to spread the idea of "freedom is a good idea" far and wide.
You see, this is how it could work..... If everyone went to the train station and refused to have their bag checked for example, the control system could not cope with the volume of people defying their orders. (The court system and prison system would very quickly become clogged up).
What would likely happen is this... The severity of the punishment for disobedience would become less severe, until they would only try to extort you $10 for refusing to have your bag searched. No longer would you be threatened with 6 months in prison.
If enough people refused to pay the $10 then they would have to go to court or prison etc. but the court could not deal with so many people so they would reduce the $10 to $5 until most people would pay it.
Eventually, if enough people began to realise that they outnumber the psychopaths and the psychopaths are actually very weak, then people would begin to ignore them.
I think perhaps, that is why it is in your interest to try to persuade as many people as possible to refuse to enable these violent people.................. (I didn't say it would be easy).
When I see a film like "Please remove your shoes" I realize that we are running out of time before they let one 'slip through the net'. How much harder it will be to get through to people when there has actually been a 'terrorist attack'. People have been trying to spread the idea of "freedom is a good idea" far and wide since before Spartacus. It's often hijacked by politicians to pursue their agendas. That's why I wanted to get a bit more specific and provide and example that we can all see happening around us on a daily basis and then perhaps an opportunity to reflect on how we all respond as an individual when the time comes.
I haven't seen the film. (I can probably imagine what it's about).
"...How much harder it will be to get through to people..." Yes, you're probably right.
In order to "...let ONE slip through the net..." there has to be ONE to begin with.
Since for example when the TSA at airports in usa were "tested" by FBI, they managed to let 95%+ "slip through the net" it's a fairly safe bet that any that do "slip through the net" would likely be false flag type operations.
This "searching people" stuff is pure theatre and propaganda. (It seems to be effective on a high %age of people)
Now, like I said, education can be important if you can persuade people to look at evidence etc etc. but it's not just an information or problem. It's mostly a psychological problem.
As you are no doubt aware, it doesn't make much difference to lots of people how much evidence you show them, if that evidence challenges their world view etc.
This is why Larken's "Mirror" project looks pretty interesting.
Remember we don't have to persuade everyone that being free is a good idea. 10% or less is probably a good enough start.
A few yrs ago, you didn't have the knowledge you now have (I'm guessing). With some research, you began to realise what's going on. There are many more people out there, willing to do the same, given the chance.
Anyway, I think it's pretty cool that you seem concerned about it. Keep on Rockin'
Likewise, my friend. After invading other countries based on lies people are supposed to be shocked that there might be ONE out there. The first rule of preventing 'terrorism' is not to blindly swallow lies. We're living with the aftermath. No doubt many are following Larken's Mirror project closely. Looking forward to seeing how it functions in practice. Understanding the psychology and how to deal with it is key (I'm still learning). I do recommend watching the film. If it's genuine it's the security types themselves telling us that it's a pantomime and that everything possible is being done to allow an 'event' (false flag or otherwise) to occur. For anyone who might be reading this the 'chance' comes from re-organizing your life so that you have the time/energy to research and think for yourself. This can take years, but it is worth it.
İnsteresting thak you
I am the first time on steemit blog, please give freedom in my comment! Do not back off before the fight. I see the privilege of steemit @locer76
Great info sir.
I woke up 10 months ago to learn from David Cole on youtube that the gas chambers we were told were used on humans are mathematically IMPOPSSIBLE. EVERYTHING you listed in your article I sensed prior to waking up, but the SCALE to which this prison of purposeful IGNORANCE was built and the amount of people selling their souls is mind boggling.
It SEEMS EVERYTHING IS A LIE.
EARTH is FLAT resteem coming tomorrow for better effectivesness, AWESOME work! Dave Hicks
Please show me a model for what the Earth looks like. Thanks.
Politics is the part and parcel of every state. And need a good government he stop the anarchy
Don't stop the anarchy, it's the only way to save the planet from utter distruction. Death to the state or it'll death for us all.
Exactly
Need anarchy to stop the 'government'