“Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.” ~ George Orwell, 1984
I don’t claim to be a psychiatrist; not by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that a lot of this anger and animosity directed towards people like me who stand firmly for the truth, (and for our liberty), is based upon a certain degree of self loathing.
I know that there are probably some in this country who know that they are ignorant, (possibly even stupid), and are too lazy or self absorbed in seeking pleasure and entertainment to spend any amount of time remedying their ignorance; and when confronted by someone who has taken the time to become knowledgeable their ignorance is exposed for the whole world to see. So what they do is they lash out; not with facts of their own, but with insults against the person who exposes their ignorance; and when that doesn’t work they seek to silence those who hold contradictory opinions and beliefs.
I’m not saying everyone is guilty of this, but over the course of my lifetime I’ve certainly encountered enough people who prove that there might be some validity to this belief. I could not begin to count the times I’ve been insulted by others in political debates, simply because they had no facts to support their position. I can count the times I’ve been turned into people in the Human Resources department where I work because people took offense at things I’ve said or written. There was even a time when someone turned me in; thinking I was going to bring a gun to work and shoot the place up – all because I am a staunch supporter of my right to keep and bear arms.
I think that there are a great many people, (possibly some of them not even realizing it), who are scared to death of freedom. People like to talk about their rights; and cry loudly whenever they believe those rights are being violated; but they don’t truly understand what it means to be free. You see, rights are like a coin and people are always talking about heads, while ignoring the flip side; tails. When speaking of rights the tails side is responsibility; meaning that you and you alone are responsible for the consequences of your choices and actions.
When I was in the Air Force I got into a bit of trouble because I had begun drinking heavily and started missing days of work because I was too hungover to get out of bed in the morning. I found myself standing before my commanding officer, Colonel Gary Hicks, and he asked me, “Why should the United States Air Force continue to employ Staff Sergeant Neal Ross?“
I told him, “Sir, I made some stupid decisions, but I only have myself to blame. Standing here before you, facing a court martial, has put the fear of God into me. I believe I have learned my lesson, and if you will give me a second chance I think you will see that.“
He told me to come back the following day for his decision. So, the next day came and as I was standing before him again, he said, “I’m going to give you a second chance Sgt. Ross, but ONLY because you owned up to your decisions. Had you tried to blame others I would have booted your ass right out the door. But, to ensure that you have learned your lesson I am demoting you one pay grade.” And you know what; before I left his office I thanked him for it. I realized that my situation was of my own making, that no one else was to blame.
I can’t begin to count the times I’ve encountered people who try to shift the blame for their problems to others, or society in general. That is not freedom; not when you expect others to compensate, or subsidize your existence, because of the choices you have made.
I work in a plant where people are not expected to perform up to what is required to earn a paycheck, (at least at the entry level positions), yet they damned sure think that they are entitled to receive the pay for that position, and when you ask that they be held accountable for meeting standards you are told that, for one reason or another, they are not capable of performing up to standards. I am told to deal with it, or as one person so often says, “It is what it is.” Well, it wasn’t always that way; when I first started there 15 years ago people were expected to do their jobs; and if they didn’t they got their asses chewed out or written up.
Anyway, maybe these people just aren’t cut out for that kind of work. Golly, I’d sure like to get the pay of some of these professional athletes, but I can’t go to the NFL and demand they put me on the roster of some football team and pay me millions of dollars per year; even though I can’t play football up to their standards. Why should it be any different in the private sector where people are expected to actually WORK for the money they are paid? And how much do you want to bet that I get some backlash from these statements?
When I was growing up, making my way through the public indoctrination centers, (schools), I was required to read George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. At the time it seemed a mere science fiction novel about some dystopian society that could never happen. Now I see that much of what Orwell wrote about has become reality – War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; and Ignorance is Strength.
I think everyone agrees that some form of drivers education should be taught to young potential drivers; just to ensure they understand the rules of the road and safe operation of a motor vehicle. Yet why is it that something as important as choosing who will sit in the seats of power within our government does not require that those doing the choosing be knowledgeable about the document that describes what powers our system of government was given when it was first instituted back in 1789?
Why is it that if you demand that before people be allowed to vote they pass a comprehensive test on the Constitution and Bill of Rights that you are told you are violating their rights; yet when they elect corrupt and unqualified officials, who then go on to pass laws that actually do violate their rights, you are told that you must obey the laws they pass…or face the consequences?
Where are the consequences for our politicians not obeying the law which governs their actions? When is the last time you heard of some politician landing in prison for violating the Constitution or Bill of Rights? Go ahead, research it…I eagerly await your response.
Our entire country, and the system of education within it, has lost what it means to seek out and value the truth, and individual freedom and liberty. We are taught to be drones within a system of enslavement; with just enough freedom to enjoy our time off from work without realizing the extent to which we have lost all our important rights.
People think that they have the right to vote without being required to understand the system they are voting people into; or the history of how that system came into existence. If I were to ask a majority of the people alive today to describe the difference between a federal system of government and a national one, I’d get this look from them…
Today the truth; facts, don’t matter. The Constitution which created our system of government is something to be viewed behind a glass case in the National Archives or on images found on the internet; not as the law which governs what our government can, and cannot do. We are taught all manner of lies in school about our nation’s history, and we live our lives and make decisions based upon those lies; never bothering to question whether we have been told the truth.
Our indoctrination has been so thorough, so effective, that we denounce those who attempt to shine a light upon the fact that, for most of our lives, we have been lied to about our country’s history, and its system of government. As my friend Michael Gaddy recently posted on Facebook, “Those who are consistent in the pursuit of “Rightful Liberty” will be viewed as psychos in a world of compromisers and statists!” or to quote Orwell, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
If the people of this country truly loved freedom they would first attempt to learn what real freedom means. Only then could they begin to learn the extent to which they ARE NOT free, and begin to take steps to regain the freedom they have lost. Making America Great Again is fine, if by making America you mean restoring the liberty it was founded upon. Anything else is tyranny and oppression disguised as either the Republican or Democratic party platform.
That goes for those who support Donald Trump as well. If he were truly a liberty seeking president he would pardon Edward Snowden and allow him to come home; for all Snowden did was expose the extent of your government’s own criminal actions. Yet he is the one who was charge with a crime, while for the real criminals it is business as usual.
Creating jobs and building up our military are not what I consider to be the benchmarks of a great country. My definition of a great country is one which the people enjoy the maximum amount of freedom, and are held accountable and responsible for their own actions.
But the politicians, the political pundits, our school system administrators don’t want you to know the truth; and they actively seek to suppress it. With all these voices denouncing true freedom, what chance does freedom have when most people are simply too lazy or too apathetic to seek out knowledge for themselves?
The people today accept that what they have been taught/told is the truth; yet Freedom requires a sacrifice of those who wish to enjoy it; as Thomas Paine so rightfully said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” And I think that is a big reason why so many people attempt to denounce people like me who constantly harp about the loss of liberty in this country; because they would rather be comfortable in servitude than expend whatever it costs to obtain real freedom; and that causes a bit of self-loathing; for deep down inside they realize they are cowards.
Our Founders, when they declared their independence from Great Britain, supported their position at the risk to their lives and their fortunes to obtain liberty. Our system of government was supposed to have been designed to secure that liberty for all, but has been perverted into one that benefits businesses and banking interests, while providing us with creature comforts and benefits while it slowly erodes the liberty it was instituted to safeguard and protect.
Our liberty could be restored, if only the people of this country came together, and in one voice stood firm against any governmental intrusions upon it. But as long as we remain divided over the ‘issues’ or by political party allegiances; or worse, drowning in our own ignorance and apathy, America will continue to circle the drain, until one day the people will wake up and wonder how they lost all their freedom.
In the meantime, those of us who preach the truth, and cry out against the continuing erosion of our liberty will be denounced and insulted because most people simply don’t know what real freedom is, and they lack the courage to take it back from those who have wrested it out of their hands.
And that will be the legacy of the American people if things do not change…
~ The Author ~
Neal Ross, Student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Send all comments to: bonsai@syix.com.
If you liked Neal’s latest column, maybe you’ll like his latest booklet: The Civil War: (The Truth You Have Not Been Told).