WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
To many of you, these three sayings may be recognizable from the
book 1984, by Gorge Orwell. Recently I
decided to read 1984 again after not having read it for
many years, and to be honest the book scared me a bit. It didn’t frighten me
because I am paranoid of falling into a totalitarian state where I would be
immersed in the same circumstances as our dear friend, Winston Smith was.
Rather I was shocked by the seemingly identical philosophies that we currently
have in our own nation.
Perpetual war, 24/7 surveillance, an intimidating amount of
propaganda used to mold and control the minds of citizens, the overall
restriction of rights, and the dictating of morality by the state are all among
the disturbing things found in this book. These are all points that Orwell
clearly wanted to warn others about when he wrote 1984 in 1949, seeing the dangerous
political trends that littered the world and foreseeing where these trends
could lead us.
Well if it was bad then, George Orwell has probably been rolling
over in his grave for the last 15 or 20 years as things have speedily gone
downhill. How many times in the recent past have we heard about the NSA spying
on everyone and their dog? Do you really feel safe with all your personal
information, conversations, and dealings in the hands of an ever growing
federal government? You may say, “Well it’s not that big of a deal, I’m no
terrorist and I’ve got nothing to hide.” Might I suggest that it’s not about
whether you are planning on participating in illegal activities or not; rather
it is all about maintaining checks and balances which are able to curb the
power of the government, leaving its constituents free to do that which is
within their rights. It’s about holding on to, and fighting for those rights
that so many of our forefathers fought and died for.
Honestly who keeps the NSA in check? With the kind of power that
the NSA has it is only a matter of time before they develop their own agenda (if
it hasn’t already happened) and rob us, Americans,
of our God-given rights. It’s a very slippery slope on which we tread. If we
give an inch, they might just take a foot.
Hence, ignorance is strength.
Why have they been able to come so far, and cross so many boundaries without
public outcry? Because our ignorance and apathy towards the situation allows
them to lull us into a false sense of security and relinquish our rights to
them one by one. Time and time again, we find ourselves caught off guard as the
“leaders” of our nation, those elected to defend our freedom, burden us under of
layers upon layers of legislation. This will happen until literally we find
ourselves in a similar situation as depicted in George Orwell’s novel. And as
long as we maintain this attitude of apathy and disdain towards what
politicians are doing in Washington, we will continue in our ignorance and
continue to relinquish our “unalienable rights”. And it is all done under the
name of national security.
Not only is the NSA a growing problem, but in the last ten years
or so, the executive branch has over-reached its boundaries, stripping our
federal government of its specifically established checks-and-balances which
our founding fathers established. These were put in place with the idea of
curtailing the power that one man (or group) could have over the country.
The disregard that presidents have show towards congress in regards to
declaring war has been prevalent.
The president of the United States has the power to wage war,
while congress has the power to
declare war. The last time that congress has officially declared war on another
country was World War II. If you didn’t catch the significance of that, let me
repeat it, the last official declaration of war issued by congress was World War II. In other words, the
executive branch (aka the president) has overstepped its boundaries and has
taken, for itself a power should rest on the shoulders of congress. And out of
fear of looking like fools, congress goes along with the president regardless
of whether it is in the true interest of the American people. Just another
example of political apathy.
All of this legislation that is coming out of Washington now days
is all about giving “equal rights” to other people, yet all I see is a small
group of people trying to dictate how we should live our lives. Why does there
have to be a law for every nuance of life? Why do we have to legislate the
definition of marriage? Why do we have to legislate whether or not people
should have health care? People should be able to live their lives without too
much interference from the government. The government has ceased to be for the
people, but we have become to be for the government. If I recall correctly
government is established “… to secure [the rights of life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness] governments are instituted among men, deriving their just
power from the consent of the governed…” We are falling in to the trap of freedom is slavery, or if applied more
directly to our circumstance: the more legislation issued from Washington, the
better. No.
It’s not true no matter what people tell you; as the government
passes more and more laws we lose our innate right to choose how we wish to
act. They dictate how we should think. Who is man to tell another how to think?
The only being in the universe that has the right to dictate what another
person should do is God himself, yet He has chosen not to do so. He has given
us our agency. So who are we to dictate what another person should or shouldn’t
think? We have the right to suggest how one can find true happiness, yet
we do not have the right to tell someone they have to do something.
Now it is true that we do need some laws, obviously our rights end
as soon as another person’s rights begin. I do not have the right to just go
kill someone because I deem it correct, because this goes against one of the
three unalienable rights that every person has: the right to live. I don’t have
the right to commit fraud, because that would rob someone of their right to the
pursuit of happiness, and in many circumstances their freedom. That is why we
have government, to execute and assure these rights to all people.
We are too busy at each other’s throats about moral issues, which truly shouldn’t even be a problem/discussion in
the legislative realm (because every man and woman has the right to act as he
or she wishes if it doesn’t infringe on another’s rights to life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness). We are too busy fighting one another’s thoughts on
morality to recognize what is going on in our country. Our governing
body, who is supposed to do what is best for us, is leading us into bondage:
physically, financially, and spiritually.
The national deficit is now at 17 trillion dollars. 17 trillion dollars. Someday that number
(actually I’m sure it will be a lot worse) will come crashing down on us, and
who is going to have to deal with that number? Those who are in congress now?
Nope. The one in the white house today, or the next twenty years? Nope. The
supreme court justices that are on the bench right now? Nope. The retired
or middle aged workers now? Nope. The rising generation is going to have the
clean up the mess that past generations have created. To me that doesn’t seem
very responsible to me.
In fact, Thomas Jefferson once said, “We shall all consider
ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity within our debts, and are morally
bound to pay them ourselves; and consequently within what may be deemed the
period of a generation, or the life expectancy of the majority.”
It’s just another way that they are lulling us into this false
security that more power to the government is better. When the reality is
that the government has all the power it needs through the constitution already
established.
Freedom is slavery…
Ignorance is strength…
War is peace…
It’s time to wake up and smell the roses people; because I don’t
think that they will smell as sweet as we thought they did. Apathy is our
biggest enemy, and unfortunately too many people have fallen in to it.
So when are we going to wake up to reality and change? Because if
it isn't soon, I fear it will be too late.
As always, with love,
Will Glade
The one walking beside you.
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