From Neil Oliver in Britain:
Who watches the watchers? Who guards the guards?
The question was posed by the Roman satirist Juvenal 2,000 years ago, but it has never been more relevant. It’s applied now to remind us of the need to keep a watchful eye on those in power.
This should be our paramount concern now, when lies and liars are everywhere.
. . .
It is as obvious as Boris Johnson’s estrangement from the truth that this tyranny should never have been allowed to evolve and that, since it has, we must not tolerate it a moment longer.
Decisions of importance must be made by those with skin in the game, but with no means to profit either directly or indirectly from the decisions they come to.
. . .
Here’s the thing: it’s long past time to watch the guards. What we need, all over the West and once and for all, is a changing of the guards.
There's much more at the link, and it's all worth reading. If you prefer to listen, here's his weekly monologue on video.
Trouble is, in order to change the guards, we need to change the way in which the guards are chosen - because the present guards control it, and they're not about to surrender that control. As comedian (and wise man) George Carlin put it (profanity alert!):
Neil Oliver is right - but so was George Carlin . . . so what's the way forward?
It's the "four boxes" conundrum all over again. If the ballot box is corrupted, and the jury box is rigged, and the soap box is censored, that leaves only one box at our disposal. No-one in his or her right mind wants to use that . . . but if we have to have a solution (and we do!), what's the alternative? I have no comforting answer to that question.
Sadly, the lesson of history is that the final box may not be moral, and may not be satisfactory, but all too often it's been rendered inevitable by those who've crippled or disabled the first three. That lesson appears to have been disregarded by each successive generation of self-focused, self-interested, self-centered leaders, who've all refused to learn from the fate of their predecessors.
Peter
9 comments:
Juvenile also foresees the modern world war T. A noble man, Gracchus, marries another man – but such brides are infertile no matter what drugs they try or how much they are whipped in the Lupercalia. He is probably cancelled from the Latin curriculum for that observation.
If the final box is all that remains to us, the other boxes are truly beyond recovery, and all that is left is tyranny and oppression, then that box is not immoral at all. It would be ugly and horrifying, but if by not using it we doom ourselves and our children to the death of freedoms and the human spirit, it would instead be immoral to *not* use it. God help us all.
The difficulty with using the fourth box is that the first use is VERY, VERY expensive (as in it will cost you everything that you hold dear). Of course, after the initial use, the rest of the box is free.
I am not sure where the line is, but I am sure it will be a an unexpected surprise to both sides when it is crossed. At that point, I think anarchy will reign for a time.
The worst thing about the fourth box is the end result is often as bad as the original problem if not worse. Tyranny is just as bad no matter which part of the political spectrum it comes from. The kind of people who rise to the top in such struggles tend to be too driven and too convinced of their right to lead.
Not to say that it shouldn't ever be opened, just that you need to be sure about it.
The key passage.... Sadly....
=>Sadly, the lesson of history is that the final box may not be moral, and may not be satisfactory, but all too often it's been rendered inevitable by those who've crippled or disabled the first three. That lesson appears to have been disregarded by each successive generation of self-focused, self-interested, self-centered leaders, who've all refused to learn from the fate of their predecessors
The parallels aren't within the American Revolution but the French Revolution not long after. Napoleon was the result - after several years of terror which started to feed on itself. Seemingly good at first, perhaps not so much so as his power consolidated then collapsed.
Perhaps we should observe what's going on in France (and Holland and Israel) at the present time for a clue as to what might happen here. I for one believe the American military will be mostly as willing to make war on American "dissidents" as anyone else in the world. Maybe then the question will be answered as to whether or not AR-15s are military grade weapons ... against trained and organized troops. Of course, there's the Taliban and Viet Cong as examples - not that their "victories" were quick or pretty.
I used to be optimistic ... once upon a time not so long ago.
The refusal to use the fourth box...regardless of the reason to not use it...means it may as well not exist. The criminals in power KNOW THIS. They understand the rational reluctance people have to engaging in violence. In fact they COUNT ON THIS. That's why they continue to commit their crimes against us and society knowing that the first three boxes are pointless and we refuse to make use of box number four. When your criminal actions have no consequences there is no incentive to stop committing crimes. And that is OUR fault....for allowing them to continue. Sometimes violence is required....sometimes it's not just AN answer. It's the ONLY answer.
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." --John F Kennedy
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