Was George Orwell a Prophet ?

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"Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted".
-- Vladimir Ilyich Lenin​

Perhaps it is very, very important to screen the educators of our children more closely?

 

I do not see the corruption ending any time soon. The "movement" would need to form a majority in Congress. This could happen if those in the "Movement" would put the movement agenda over the agenda of Red and Blue. Movement members could sit on both sides of the fence. The first agenda item is to dismiss ever sitting member of SCOTUS and replace with folks who will interpret law and the constitution on the basis of the founding principle. - That Individual Liberty is 'ABOVE" the legitimate authority of Gov't.

 

Perhaps but It is the curriculum that needs to be screened.

1) How is it that through 12 years of school we manage no to teach a kid the main principle on which this nation was founded ? "Individual liberty is "ABOVE" the legitimate authority of Gov't". That the Gov't is not supposed to have any authority to make any law - of its own volition - outside its legitimate purview.

Ask anyone " do you agree with limited Gov't" - "YES - YES" will be the emphatic response. Then say ... OK .. what is that authority limited to and why ?

You will then get the classic deer in headlights look. Then you have this crazy idea out of the religious right that God is somehow involved - implying - even though they do not realize it - that the authority of Gov't has something to do with God.

What distinguished our system from the other systems at the time (or in the recent past) was that the authority of Gov't was supposed to come from "We the people/ consent of the governed" rather than "divine right/God - or some other place - bloodline or some such thing".

Gov't is not supposed to be making any law - of its own volition - that messes with individual liberty - never mind law on the basis of religious belief.

They need to understand that it is the people alone that gives Gov't authority and when it comes to messing with individual liberty that 50+1 or "simple majority mandate" does not cut it. This is referred to in both classical liberalism and republicanism as "Tyranny of the Majority". Never mind that however - we now live under Tyranny of the "Minority".

The bar is "Overwhelming majority" when it comes to messing with liberty - at least 2/3rds for a law to be legitimate.

I challenge you to list a few laws we have on the books (or legislation) that does not even come close to meeting that bar. If one can not quickly list 5 or 6 off the top of their head then one is not paying attention. This should be one of the test questions complete with an explanation of why these laws are examples of "illegitimacy of authority"

Every sitting member of SCOTUS should be dismissed for dereliction of duty - failure to interpret law and the Constitution on the basis of the founding principles.

2) 12 yeas of school and we manage not to teach the "basics" of Philosophy - Logic, logical fallacy, what constitutes a valid argument, critical thinking.

3) Kids should be taught about the Golden Rule in relation to our founding principle. "do unto others as you would have done to you"

In other words - If you do not want others forcing their personal or religious beliefs on you through physical violence (Law), then do not be doing this to others by supporting law that messes with individual liberty.

They should be taught that there is a difference between 1) having a belief and 2) forcing that belief on others through physical violence (Law).

If you don't like alcohol - don't drink. To force others not to drink via physical violence (Law) is a completely different matter. If one does support such law one should have rational (non fallacious) justification.

For example - I don't like alcohol is not valid justification. One not liking alcohol does not give you the right to force others not to drink through physical violence.

or "God doesn't like it" This is nonsensical fallacy as one can not prove that this claim is true.

Without these basic of basic tools - how is a person supposed to cast an intelligent vote ... be it in a referendum or for a politician ? How is a person supposed to wade through the cacophony of fallacy and bad argument raining down on a daily basis from politicians and the MSM ?

There is no such thing as a functional democratic process without these basic tools. This was realized right from the get go - 2500 years ago when the Greeks invented it. At that time only citizens could vote which meant you were educated in the basics of Philosophy.

 

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I couldn't agree more. However, it's the educators that decide which texts per subject are to be taught. At one time those teaching texts were chosen by individual school boards on a local level. Today they are primarily chosen on a national basis in the name of continuity which has contaminated our educational system.

 

A companion book is "Brave New World". It predicts virtual sex, the destruction of the family, children artificially bred (exogenisis may soon be a thing for humans. They already did a critter without a real womb.) in a society that is kept medicated (see what is happening to boys in our public schools) and happy.

 

Exactly - kids are not educated in the topics outlined in the previous post - on the basis of "continuity".

It is not by accident that the sheep are kept ignorant of the main principle on which this nation was founded.

 

Just wait until jobs disappear en masse due to the rise of AI. This will make the masses even more dependent on Gov't - Give the Gov't even more power.

Instead of being defended by "people" the Gov't will be defended in large part by computerized technology (AI).

In the past if the Gov't went rogue the army could revolt and topple the Gov't. This is not possible when the Gov't is defended by AI.

The surveillance state is way out of control with few checks and balances. One cannot even kiss your wife or gf anymore without thinking that your TV, Phone or computer might be watching you.

You can't buy anything using a card without you being tracked ... or go anywhere with your phone. And there is no "turn off tracking" option. Same in your car.

This State surveillance is only going to increase.

People justify this by dumb arguments such as "i have nothing to hide". The point of individual liberty (privacy rights) is not because people have something to hide - right now.

The point is that this gives Gov't way too much power - and at some point "you will have something to hide"

Gov'ts always go bad .. this is the lesson of history. Power corrupts and more power corrupts more.

It was not that long ago when OUR GOV'T .. went after people for their thoughts .. Thought Police.

This is nothing - at some point our Gov't will go really rogue - it is just a matter of time.

This was the point of limitations to Gov't power - especially in relation to individual liberty. The founders were trying to protect the people, not so much against some robber, but from the Gov't !- the biggest robber of them all !

 

The threat isn't only from Gov't but corporations as well. I love having my Amazon Alexa... but the thing can hear me whenever I'm around. How long till, say, you're caring for a crying baby and the TV set pops on with a diaper commercial. Things seem to be headed towards a combo of the 2 books. Sedate the masses and keep them "happy" while monitoring the crap out of them and keeping them in a state of constant war and fear.

 

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I refuse to use Alexa and Cortana.

 

Oh for sure. It is a union between Gov't an corporations. I call it the Oligopoly-Bureaucracy Fusion Monster.

It is not like Microsoft can not build privacy into their operating system - that Apple can not encrypt communications (like Blackberry used to do) - that they can not put an option into your car to turn off GPS tracking - or your phone.

It is not like Microsoft can not prevent the CIA from being able to watch and listen to you through your computer.

These companies are willing participants in the surveillance state .. and the propaganda state.

Google is now censoring stuff that conflicts with the establishment narrative as is Youtube.

It is quite something that is going on right now .. a turning point in history. The time left for the people to start a movement to fight the increasing power ( and complete lack of transparency) of Gov't towards a quazi totalitarian police state.

The masses are ready .. the anti-establishment movement spanned both sides of the fence in the last election .. it just had no direction and was not able to shoot its arrows straight.

Some leader will arise that will clarify the issues for the people and given them an agenda.

Then things will get very interesting.

 

The message? It should be very clear, if you have indeed read the book. Orwell was a vehement critic of Joseph Stalin, he hated and was very hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War. The Soviet Union, had become a brutal dictatorship, built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror.

The book is a satire on the end results of most revolutions where the revolt against a bad government more often turns to a far worse one taking power.

 

This sort of thing is everywhere.

 

I agree that the red and blue are two sides of the same coin but for me the difference is the lesser of evils,who is going to hurt me the least. My perception is the Red gives considerably more than the Blue. What the Blue takes only moves in one direction and those of us who fall on the Red side are unlikely to ever benefit from our contributions. I invest a lot in a lot of different things and have done quite well because it was the Red that provided the opportunity. I also contribute a good deal to charitable organizations but only to those who have demonstrated that the money goes to what it was intended for. I do this because I believe it's the right thing to do but it's also money not squandered by any bureaucracy. So in that sense the Red monies are more effectively returned to local communities. Last of all I have never contributed anything to any political entity and never will.

 

The real source of a lack of freedom is the monopolistic private corporation. Of course, they couldn't do it without the politicians they buy.
Their think tank, ALEC, funds propaganda to make Americans think it's Democrats and the media that are the cause.

Industry+government+religion is Fascism. If you don't like the word, let's call it totalitarianism, which can arise out of any system of government. Hitler was elected by popular vote, and made Chancellor by the usual parliamentary selection.

By the way, when I was a teenager and headed to the work force, adults made sure I knew that the Bill of Rights stops at the factory door. It was true then and is still true today.

 

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Better check your history books.. Hitler was not elected to power in Germany by an overwhelming upsurge of popular demand. Hitler was reluctantly appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg on 30 January 1933. Hitler succeeded Hindenburg as head of state upon his death in 1934, after which he abolished the office entirely.

 

Yep, when the State is able to bully parents of their critically ill child into submission, then whither the democratic process? But then the democratic process has become an illusion anyway: we have reached the stage where the servants (because that's what politicians, the judiciary, and NHS staff are) can intimidate and dominate their pay-masters**, and that ain't 'democracy'! Actually it's the opposite?

** pay·mas·ter
(pā′măs′tər)
n.
A person . . . who pays wages and salaries.

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/paymaster

 

No, I wouldn't either. In fact I thought exactly that at the end of the Panorama program, and how, when the investigative journalist was (courageously?) trying to ask the Ukrainian leader a question about his involvement in money laundering, he was set upon by thuggish bodyguards, and if the cameras hadn't been rolling, who knows what they'd have done to him. It's only a matter of time before crime lords literally rule the world, because they'd simply snuff out anyone like that brave reporter without a second's thought.

 

Equally prophetic:

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."

— Sinclair Lewis, 1935, It Can't Happen Here

 

Equally prophetic:

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."

— Sinclair Lewis, 1935, It Can't Happen Here

 

Does this explain why the PF lefties are trying to paint their side as being patriotic?

 

Clearly you do not care, but our founders seemed to care, and they cared one helluva lot. So, you do not agree with rights and what our founders said about such issues.

You just voiced the old argument of, " I am not doing anything wrong, so they can look at my privacy all that they want". Except, what is "wrong" can change very quickly.

I don't think conservatives or liberals have ever been this complicit in the creation of a post 1984 Orwellian nightmare. And yes, both of these groups have their own reasons, and yet who cares what they are when you end up at the same spot? A war on privacy, a war on god given rights.

What Ben Franklin said, should be busting you over the head, but you wear a thick helmet.

 

This is both a trick and a mirage. The trick is to get you to vote one side because of vehement dislike for the other. The various hot button issues (Abortion, gay marriage, Gun rights and so on) are easily resolved though following the principles on which the nation was founded - or even through coherent dialogue.

They powers at be do not want these issues resolved - it is important to keep the people divided.

How does Red benefit you more ? "Lower my Taxes" no they don't. Red loves wealth redistribution even more than blue. Red congress is just as responsible for high tax rates as blue. The difference is that Red will redistribute more towards military and Blue will redistribute more towards social spending (or at least that is the narrative promoted).

The Trump tax break is a joke. This is like getting an increase on your credit card limit. Short term gain for long term pain. So enjoy it because that money is all debt financed.

There is one big difference this time. Reagan, Bush Jr (both who did the same thing with disasterous results) increased deficits in a decreasing interest rate environment.

Trump is increasing deficits into a rising interest rate environment. Reagan nearly ruined the nation due to debt. The interest payments on the debt went over 25% of income (30% is IMF alarm bell/red lights go off level - the ship is taking in water faster than it can be bailed out).

Clinton - and the Republican Congress did not decrease spending (and raise taxes) because the wanted to. They did it because they had to.

The reality is that both Red and Blue love Big Gov't and big Govt spending. Both love the Oligopolies that run this nation and engage in price fixing, collusion, anti competitive practices which bastardize fair and free markets and keep the little guy from competing and/or earning a fair market wage.

Tax law and regulations are geared toward the Oligopoly and to drive the little guy into a state of indentured servitude. Red and Blue ? no difference. Its a pay to play system.

What ? Did you think Hillary earns 250K a pop for a 15 minute speech at a wall street banker luncheon due to her good looks and charming personality ? Its for a job well done. When you play ball with the Establishment international financiers .. and follow their agenda .. you get paid - and everyone knows it.

Its a pay to play system and neither side has done anything to disrupt this.

Both sides hate individual liberty and live increasing Gov't and police power towards a quazi totalitarian police state.

Both hate Gov't transparency and both love the Surveillance state (hate privacy rights) and both are in favor of our intelligence agencies creating and disemminating propaganda on US citizens (legal since 2013).

I am just getting started here. A vote for red or blue is a vote for continued sodomization.

If you looked at a ballot with 3 choices - Stalin, Hitler, something else.

Your argument is that you would choose Stalin because he is the lesser of two evils.

NO - something else is the lesser of three evils.

 

You could apply what he said to anything, its your choice where you want to draw the line.

Some say being forced to get a drivers license is infringing on your privacy.

 

Maybe I missed something, but I seem to remember the year 1984 passing quite a few years ago, and the Ministry of Truth, also known as RT, hadn't been invented yet. At least not in this country.

 

Logic and rationality draws the line. And that line was crossed long ago. It has been a frog boil.