Op-Ed by Gaye Levy, Strategic Living
As a point of reference, when I first started blogging in 2010, I had a lot of angst over the meltdown of certain financial institutions, unjustified taxpayer-funded government bailouts, the real or perceived violation of our Bill of Rights, and the forward march of socialism in the United States. The antidote for me was to embrace preparedness, learn situational awareness, and to become a voice for others with similar concerns.
Let us fast forward to today. The good news is that I am as prepared as I can be with an abundance of stored food, water, and supplies in two separate locations. After losing a good portion of my retirement funds in the 2009 meltdown, I have learned to live without many of the luxuries I formerly took for granted while still enjoying life. I was finally able to retire and for all intents and purposes, am finding that social security and a modest annual dip into savings is keeping me afloat and then some.
On the other hand, many of the topics I wrote about way back when are again bubbling to the surface. They are fueled by the additional dynamic that the internet has brought into play via Google, Facebook, Twitter, Fake News, and censorship of the free press. Sadly, these influences and influencers are shaping the minds of young people who have grown up with technology and have no clue about the precious freedoms we oldsters have embraced since birth. Those same freedoms are rapidly being eroded and precious few of us seem to care.
The bottom line is that we have become a society where being a victim and/or being entitled is cause for celebration. And that is just plain wrong.
Let me explain.
Americans Under Siege by the Power Elites and Police State
In 2012, President Obama signed an Executive Order titled National Defense Resources Preparedness. At the time, there was a swell of controversy. For many of us, this was an overt act signalizing militarization and the eventual socialization of our country. Others felt this was a ho-hum restatement of existing presidential controls.
By now you have surmised my thoughts on the matter. It was and is my opinion that Americans are under siege by our own government and by the mysterious and secretive powers that control our elected officials. More and more, ordinary citizens are filled with angst as we witness the wholesale cannibalization of our freedom and of the Constitution.
Now, so now many years later, the fears we felt back in 2012 are beginning to materialize as we seem to be heading into a Police State disguised as unbridled socialism. For the uninformed, in 2013, Wikipedia described a police state as follows:
A police state is one in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population. A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism and social control, and there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive.
The inhabitants of a police state experience restrictions on their mobility, and on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement. Political control may be exerted by means of a secret police force which operates outside the boundaries normally imposed by a constitutional state.
I find it interesting that this definition has been removed but then again, Wikipedia is not altogether reliable given that anyone can edit a particular article at any point of time.
That being said, to my way of thinking a police state occurs when the government takes over control of the country by restricting the freedom of the population. Residents of a police state are required to obey the occupying authorities and may be punished for not doing so.
This includes the elimination of choice when it comes where and how their taxes are allocated, restriction of movement, and even restrictions to the extent that Americans can stockpile, food, water, and the other necessities of life. They may be required to perform non-military, government-mandated duties serving at the pleasure of the chief executive, the military and the Power Elites. They may be detained indefinitely if considered a threat, rendering the protections of the Constitution null and void. Ultimately, their goods and their lives become the property of the government.
This new reality means that we are surveilled by the electronic police state that uses digital technologies to record, organize, search and distribute data about its citizens. And it is not only the government that is guilty. Alexa (Google), Siri (Apple), Skype (Microsoft) as well as Facebook, Twitter, and the big Kahuna, Google Search are all spying on us, 24/7.
The new reality is that nothing we do is private and we may be mostly powerless to do anything about it. Or so I believe as I don my tin foil hat. I think about this daily as I try to separate fact from myth, reality from fantasy and conspiracy from paranoia.
Are We Still a Land of the Free?
According to Merriam-Webster, liberty is the quality of state of being free including:
- The power to do as one pleases
- Freedom from physical restraint
- Freedom from arbitrary or despotic control
- The positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges
- The power of choice
As I have stated before, liberty as I see it is the right to govern oneself in accordance with our own free will and with full responsibility for our actions. Where things get dicey is when that free will is being eliminated by the unlawful use of our taxes to support congressional boondoggles, illegal activities, and the promotion of the aforementioned police state.
Let us move on to the definition of Democracy. Again we go to Merriam-Webster:
Democracy is a government by the people, especially the rule of the majority. A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
To summarize, in a democracy, all people have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. It further says that the representatives of the people serve to insure that our needs, our wishes and our mandates are translated into law {emphasis is mine}.
Here is where things fall about. Currently, the major internet influencers I reference above (Google, Facebook, Twitter, and the like) and the main stream media are controlling the truth, using censorship to put out a message that suits the needs of the special interests that stand to gain. They are doing this in spite of rules, the laws and the moral attitudes upon which our government was founded. Their doing so is eroding our freedom in an ugly and insidious manner.
Let Us Not Ignore the Folly of Socialism
Going back to Merriam-Webster, socialism is defined as follows:
Any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
A system of society or group living in which there is no private property
A system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
A stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
Ultimately, to me, this says that socialism means that the wealth of a society is government-owned, government-controlled, and everyone else in this society will be hunky-dory because the government will give them everything they need. Because after all, individual rights and needs cannot be more important than the needs of the collective “everyone”.
Change the words a bit and change the reference to “government” to “government and elites” and you can see why this is a concern. Moreover, this comes close to some other nasty political “isms” out there that are none too pleasant such as Marxism, Stalinism, and Communism. Nazi Germany, anyone?
Opinion: Playing the Victim Card is Unacceptable
What is with the popularity of playing the victim card? As an American Jew, I know what it means to be a victim and I am not one of them. Furthermore, the United States of America is not a country of victims regardless of what politicians and celebrities tell you.
Side note: What in the heck gives a Hollywood celebrity credibility? Oh. I forgot. They are part of the power elite with their publicists, mansions, housekeepers, cooks, nannies, and drivers. Hardly what I would call the middle-class majority and with rare exception, no experience whatsoever in leadership and forward-thinking thoughts or opinions.
It is as unacceptable for a white American to apologize for being white just as it is unacceptable for a native of Africa to apologize for being black. Likewise, individuals with yellow or brown skins need to offer up no apology for who they are. Is it unreasonable to expect that we all should be proud of our unique heritage as we stand together in unity? We all want the same thing: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Can’t we work together, going forward, without playing the blame game for what has happened in the past?
I embrace and endorse building a better and stronger America together, and not an America filled with special interest victimology based on color, religion, and sexual orientation. I also feel that we should do so within the confines of the law, our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Let me repeat six important words: within the confines of the law. Somehow we seem to have lost the significance of those words in today’s political climate. And for that, we should be embarrassed and ashamed.
Recommended Reading: The Bill of Rights
At this juncture, I feel it is important that every single American refamiliarize themselves with the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was ratified by Congress on December 15, 1791, and comprises the first 10 amendments to our Constitution. Here they are in plain English.
1. The First Amendment says that “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.”
2. The Second Amendment says the people have the right “to keep and bear arms.”
3. The Third Amendment says soldiers may not be quartered in our homes without the consent of the owners.
4. The Fourth Amendment says the people have the right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures.
5. The Fifth Amendment says that private property shall not be taken “for public use without just compensation.”
6. The Sixth Amendment says that in criminal prosecutions, the person accused is guaranteed a right to trial by jury.
7. The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil cases where the controversy “shall exceed twenty dollars.”
8. The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments.
9. The Ninth Amendment says that the enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights should not be construed to deny or disparage others “retained by the people.”
10. The Tenth Amendment says that the powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states, or to the people.
To summarize, the Bill of Rights serves to define and limit the powers of the government and to furthermore remind government officials that they serve the citizens and not the other way around.
As I wrote over on Backdoor Survival:
Violations to the first ten amendments to our Constitution run rampant and are likely to escalate. Don’t get me wrong. This is not partisan or political. It is simply a fact that for the last twelve years, officials of our government have abused their power and our rights without recourse, punishment or remedial action. Some might say that they have broken the law and are criminals.
Citizens no longer know who to trust or who to believe. And many, who prefer to know nothing or not care, go blindly about their daily life abiding by the new-found rules, not realizing that inch by inch, day by day, their rights are being set aside in favor of – dare I say a socialist dictatorship?
Our Constitutional rights include the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the right to trial by jury, protection against unreasonable search and seizure and the right to bear arms among other things. Looking at this list and the state of our union, it appears to me that our republic is in a state of crisis.
The delegates that gathered in 1787 to form a new government agreed that this new government would be a republic. That said, a republic is a type of government in which the people elect representatives to run the country.
The Preamble of the Constitution states:
“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
The Bill of Rights, as the first ten amendments to the Constitution, lists our country’s most important rights and freedoms. Although we can and should continue to define the execution and interpretations of each of these Ten Amendments, let us not forget about these rights and freedoms. We need to shout a loud NO to those that try to take them away.
You can download a free version of the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other founding documents https://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/ .
Coping Advice
Giving advice is a dangerous path to follow because everyone’s situation is unique. Still, it is important that I remind you to avoid becoming overwhelmed by disturbing news you may read online. But don’t ignore it either. Everyone these days has an agenda so try to align yourself with the truth by embracing news and opinion pieces from multiple resources, including blogs and the so-called alternative news outlets.
Here are a few sites that I follow on a regular basis:
- The Organic Prepper
- Urban Survival
- Prepper Website
- The Economic Collapse Blog
- Backdoor Survival (and especially articles written by Samantha Biggers)
There are many others that you may find more suited to your lifestyle and temperament. Take the time to find them. And in doing so, remember that you are not alone in your thoughts and that you must hang in there, mentally and preparedness wise, to ensure your safety and long term survival during these uncertain times.
Summing It All Up
People close to me know that I am filled with angst. What they do not know is that my angst is related to my fear that the country I love is headed down a track of self-destruction. Perhaps not in my time, but soon enough.
Upon reflection, I now realize that I have wrongly channeled that angst into a blanket dissatisfaction with my decision to retire to Arizona. Couple that angst with pressure to conform to a retirement lifestyle filled with social events I could give a hoot about, and I have become sad if not mildly depressed. On the positive side, though, I have started to ignore those pressures and more actively pursue my new, deadline-free life puttying around the house, making soaps and salves, reading, cooking, listening to audiobooks, and of course, adult coloring. Ignoring the pressure of well-meaning, but annoying peers is another type of freedom we all need to embrace.
In closing, I just want to say that in spite of all of this angst, I am able to get a good nights sleep, thanks to bedtime use of both CBD oil and my Dream Salve. Without good sleep, and a supportive husband, I would be a basket case.
Yours for a Joyful Life,
Gaye
Gaye Levy is an ordinary gal trying to make sense of our changing world. She is addicted to prepping, DIY projects, essential oils, adult coloring, and ballroom dancing. Gaye lives what she likes to call a Strategic Life and believes you should too. Everyone needs to live a joyful life that includes wellness, happiness, and comfort. Let Gaye show you how.
You can learn more about Gaye here. In addition, you can follow her on Facebook and at her website, https://strategiclivingblog.
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