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 THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE Number 602, January 9, 2011 "The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." —A.E. van Vogt (1951)
Special to The Libertarian Enterprise I bought a Corvette back in 2006. After that, I noticed all the other Corvettes on the road that I'd ignored before that. Haven't you had similar experiences? You become aware of a certain thing, and from then on, you notice it every time you encounter it. Well I promise after today, every time you hear or see the word "deserve" used, you'll never think about it the same way again. One of those words that tightens my colon is the word "deserve." Clever writers choose words both for what they mean (denotations, or definitions) and also for what they imply (connotations). The Christian philosopher Frances Schaeffer came up with the term "connotation words." These are words that imply a certain thing and elicit an emotional response, but the traditional meaning has been vacuumed out of the words. He offered examples such as freedom, love, Christ, sin and Christianity. In order to get past connotation words, you must seek operational definitions of words so you are not talking past each other. One of the most misused connotation words in the English language is the word "deserve." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as "to be worthy, fit, or suitable for some reward or requital." Dictionary.com's definition of "deserve" is "to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to (reward, assistance, punishment, etc.) because of actions, qualities, or situation." Listen to advertisers on TV and radio. They'll use "deserve" as an ego device to get you to feel that you are truly entitled to... what? Usually, some benefit of having their products. You'll hear lines like, "Buy our luxury car, and finally drive a car you deserve.' But why do you deserve it? What merit or quality do you possess that entitles you to succumb to the siren call that you deserve ANYTHING? Sure, there are legitimate instances in which you deserve either reward or some negative sanction. Usually it is because you did something, or failed to do something. But a careful consideration of WHY you deserve ANYTHING should always be done before just puffing out your chest and declaring that you deserve something beneficial. Which brings us to the issue of liberty. Does anyone DESERVE liberty? If we look back at Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, we see that humans are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are listed as "among these (rights)." So, that means that there are even more unalienable Rights than the three Jefferson identified. But humans deserve Liberty simply because they are humans. It can be argued that the right of property is another unalienable right. The right to contract is another unalienable right. Can you think of others? Individual liberty and property rights are fast becoming museum pieces in America. They are curios, only good for gazing upon behind glass. OK... what is the definition of "Liberty?" Dictionary.com defines it as: "freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice." So there is positive liberty... the freedom to do. And there is negative liberty... the freedom from. Positive liberty and negative liberty are like breathing. Positive liberty is like inhaling, while negative liberty is exhaling. You cannot have one without the other. Most times, breathing is an unconscious act. But there are times that you have to concentrate and breathe on purpose. In like manner, sometimes liberty flows freely. But most often, liberty must be an effort. That means an individual must use some energy to protect his liberty. Eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty." Andrew Jackson 1837 Liberty is another connotation word in our jargon today. We talk about America as the "land of liberty," and sing "My Country, 'tis of thee, Sweet Land of Liberty." But in truth and in fact, the person living in America in 2011 has less liberty than any other person living on North American soil since people began living in North America. Curiously, people still think they have liberty here. So the word "liberty" is only good for emotional responses but it has no real meaning in our lives. Americans are regulated in every aspect of human existence... 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... 365 days a year by a rapacious government that will only be stopped by its own self-inflicted wounds. The regulations and taxation are becoming more onerous as the days pass. But we do not use "government" as merely another connotation word. Governments are made up of individuals who wish to rule over other people. Strip away all the talk about "public service" and you have a group of individuals who want power over others and will do whatever it takes to get it. We Americans have failed miserably in protecting our liberty. We are responsible entirely for the messes presently plaguing the United States. No foreign nation disbanded our Congress and installed their own leadership. We elect these scoundrels and criminals every election cycle. Then, when they misbehave, we Americans seldom remove them from office. The greatest majority of elected officials are rewarded with re-election term after term... despite the fact that they commit crimes against the Constitution on a daily basis. Therefore, I submit to you that most Americans do not deserve liberty since they have not acted to protect the liberty they once enjoyed. And most Americans are so inured to government that real liberty is an alien concept to them, and they would reject it if it was offered to them. "Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." Thomas Jefferson 1796 What about you, my friend? What are you doing RIGHT NOW to protect and preserve what little liberty you think you have? I recommend that you forsake any political involvement other than the act of secession. Make preparations to protect yourself and your family against the inevitable economic collapse just over the American horizon. Gather survival goods, gold and silver coins. Prepare to move to a state like Texas, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, Hawai'i or Alaska... states that have more than a snowball's chance in hell of secession when TSHTF. And above all, spread the word about secession. Most people will think you're insane, but some will listen. You could be responsible for saving their lives. "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin 1759 Secession is the Hope For Mankind. Who will be first? DumpDC. Six Letters That Can Change History.
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