who's your nanny?

The State Only Wants Left-Wingers and Right-Wingers

You know you live in a free country when the government allows you to choose which of two basic political camps you can be a part of. I mean, you get a choice! We're so privileged to live in a democracy (no matter what those crazy libertarians say).

Ahh, freedom. Take a deep breath and suck it all in, my friends. You can almost smell it in the air, can't you? We're a nation of left vs. right, and that's just the way the state likes it. Our herd mentality ensures that the hoi polloi will forever engage in their intellectual pap by the keg or on cable TV, all while the masters do whatever they like with our money and property. Keep the people arguing, to put it simply, and no one will really notice while they slowly unravel the rug of liberty.

This concept became perfectly clear to me over the weekend while my wife and I were sitting in a car dealership in Annapolis closing on a new vehicle. After doing my duty as a Good American and indebting myself to another loan we don't really need, it was time for the dealership's business manager to furnish new tracking devices license plates for the car.

We live in Maryland, which up until last year had one of the better looking license plates among the states (notwithstanding the fact that government tags are evil, of course). It was a plain black and white with a small state flag insignia. Nothing fancy. Nothing that would clash with your car too badly.

Not anymore. The new standard Maryland plate is a gawdy red, white, and blue layout advertising the War of 1812. Sweet. Piss off the Indians even more by cheerleading for one of the most unnecessary and evil government land grabs in history. Christ, no wonder these poor fuckers are alcoholics.

So what's a new car owner to do if advertising the state war machine makes you tickle the ol' uvula with stomach acid? Well, you can pay 20 bucks more for an equally ugly "Treasure the Chesapeake" tag. That's what I want -- to not only be associated with bigoted fricking environmentalists but to have to do it by driving around with a picture of a gay-ass blue heron on my license plate. But that's what I had to do.

So there you have it. To break it down to the simplistic ideological boilerplate the state likes, we've got a choice: join the lefties or the righties, ya dig? Go blow if you just want to be left the fuck alone.

The Constitution as Bread and Circus

Last week President Barak Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder declared the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional and ordered the Department of Justice to stop defending it. There has been much gnashing of teeth over this action in the blogspshere and on political TV shows. Bill Belew at the Examiner provides some reaction to Newt Gingrich's ridiculous claim that this action will lead to a constitutional crisis. I was stuck watching CNN last Thursday in the gym and heard Elliot Spitzer argue that even if Obama dislikes the law, he still should enforce because DOMA is law of the land. Spitzer then argued that there were laws that he did not like when he was attorney general of New York, but he enforced them anyway. (I guess laws against prostitution are an example of laws that Spitzer did not like, but enforced them anyway against everyone...except, of course, himself.)

The arrogance of our Federal Government has yet to cease amazing me. Every time I think that politicians have reached the zenith of hubris, the clouds dissipate and I realize that there is more mountain to climb. And they climb with zeal and celerity. This is the same administration that is still fighting two unconstitutional wars; that openly violates the Fourth Admendment at almost every airport in the country; that is trying to legalize presidential assassinations of American citizens; that interferes with every aspect of our lives and is even interfering with almost every aspect of lives of people in foreign countries. This is the same administration that told States that legalized medicinal marijuana, essentially nullifying the war on marijuana, that if the States do not continue to enforce marijuana prohibition, the DEA and FBI would. So the emperor king dictator president can declare a law unconstitutional, but its satraps cannot.

I do not believe that this move by the Obama administration has anything to do with the constitutionality or unconstitutionality of DOMA. This is a political move to shore up the Democratic base for the 2012 election. Obama does have some real problems that could lead to a Republican presidency. The economy is still a mess, the wars are still being fought, and the people in the Middle East have grown tired of their dictators. He might face a real challenge in 2012. However, by playing the unconstitutional card for DOMA, he has energized his gay and lesbian supporters. The unconstitutional card also leads to the inevitable debates over the Constitution. People who have only read the Constitution once in high school are now voicing strong opinions over the constitutionality of DOMA. As if any of this matters.

Our federal government does whatever it wants, whenever it wants because the vast majority of people do not resist its depredations. Most people just want to get on with their lives. The minority of us who despise the State will be jailed, beaten, tasered, and killed for resisting. And the majority will not care what happens to us. They will reason that we should have written our congressman or organized a civil protest. We should have worked within the system, but we did not. Thus, they will conclude that we got what we deserved.

Contra Gingrich there will be no constitutional crisis over DOMA. There will only be masters and slaves as there has always been since the State was formed. DOMA and questions about its constitutionality only serve to entertain the slaves. Debate over these questions give the slaves the impression that they actually have decision making power on the plantation. But this is equivalent to giving chattels the power to decide which shovel they can use while tending massa's fields.

Government Shutdown?

Please. We should all be so lucky.

Remember, the government doesn't do anything that would actually benefit us.

Thanks, PETA?

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has pressured the TSA into canceling their plans to recruit workers at the Iditarod. The Washington Post reports

In a letter sent this week to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a representative of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said the TSA should "stick to keeping our airplanes and railroads safe."

"Forcing dogs to run more than a thousand miles in subzero temperatures is cruel," the letter said.

Nick Kimball, a TSA spokesman, said the agency never intended to sponsor the race, but planned to recruit potential job seekers in the hope of filling airport-screener vacancies at 22 Alaskan airports. The TSA's recruitment plans, similar to those used to promote the 2010 Census, would have cost the agency about $85,000, Kimball said.

"We focus on geographically targeted recruitment to help us enlist employees to work in local airports," Kimball said in a statement. "However, this particular recruitment effort has been canceled because TSA never intended to have the appearance of sponsorship."

PETA leaders cheered the agency's quick decision.

"We are howling with delight," PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said in an interview.

"There are so many ways to create jobs, and exploiting dogs is not one of them," she said. "Aligning themselves with the Iditarod, I think they taint themselves, because it's cruel and a lousy endeavor."

Thus, for PETA, forcing dogs to run a race is "cruel" and associating with the Iditarod "taints" the TSA. However, when TSA agents do this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this, such actions are "keeping our airplanes and railroads safe."

On the one hand, I applaud any effort that prevents the TSA from recruiting more voyeurs molesters employees. On the other hand, the fact that PETA is willing to protest animal cruelty but condone human cruelty suggests that PETA cares very little about the ethical treatment of humans.

Gang of Potheads Invades Home, Terrorizes Innocents

Oh, wait. My bad. I really need to get my facts straight. Turns out it was a gang of thugs conducting a drug raid for the New Brunswick police department who trespassed on private property, broke into a house, and assaulted two Rutgers college students while they were sleeping. Silly me.

Sophomores Jake Kost­man of Stanhope and Ka­reem Najjar of Clifton are seeking $2 million from the police department for the injuries and trauma they contend they suffered in the Dec. 10, 2010, raid at 260 Somerset St., an off­campus residence.

According to the law­suit, filed Thursday in U.S.

District Court, Trenton, Kostman and Najjar were in their apartment in the building when police burst in at 4:30 a.m. without identifying themselves.

Both men were punched, kicked and stomped in the head and body, according to the suit.

Kostman and Najjar merely lived in a house where ecstasy, marijuana, and LSD were allegedly found and confiscated -- even the county prosecutor implies they weren't affiliated -- so apparently that's a crime now too.

And, as we all know, college kids high on a little dope are among the worst menaces to society while they lie around their houses laughing and eating.

(Via Radley Balko)

Empirical Evidence for Competition in the Production of Bads

Last week I wrote an short essay entitled "States Always Commit More Crime than Presumed". There I made the following argument:

And in a democratic State, not only will the amount of State crime increase, but these crimes will become more diabolical and heinous as time moves on. This is because democracies have competition in the production of bads. The U.S. has competition for the best CIA agent, the best FBI agent, the best ATF agent, the best IRS agent, the best DEA agent, etc. And the "best" usually means the most deceptive, the most threatening, the most menacing, the most violent. Just as it is almost impossible for a good man to become president of the U.S., especially as democracy continues to corrupt the masses generation after generation, it is almost impossible to find any man of good intentions or morals at the top of these agencies. Any man who does have principles will be weeded out early on. Moreover, the men who apply for these positions are part of the same corrupted masses who vote for the best liar, thief, and potential murderer as president.

Since the State engages in competition of bads, we can predict that mobility into the upper eschelons of the State will be guided by rules that will ensure that the "best man" will win. In this case, "best" means "means the most deceptive, the most threatening, the most menacing, the most violent." The State will winnow out men of integrity and moral character in order that its crimes continue unabated. This is a necessary condition given that the State's fundamental purpose is crime. It simply cannot function if men of genuine integrity and morals can consistently reach the apex of State power.

Radley Balko has an excellent article on Reason.com named "Why Cops Aren't Whistleblowers". The reason is the blue wall of silence which is also known as "the code". "The code" discourages officers from reporting the crimes of fellow officers. Should an officer actually report a crime against a fellow officer, the reporting officer will face repercussions from his other colleagues as well as his superiors. Balko cites a few stories to illustrate this point. Balko also quotes former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper who explains why the blue wall of silence is so effective:

“You have to rely on your fellow officers to back you. A cop with a reputation as a snitch is one vulnerable police officer, likely to find his peers slow to respond to requests for backup—if they show up at all. A snitch is subject to social snubbing. Or malicious mischief, or sabotage.…The peer pressure is childish and churlish, but it’s real. Few cops can stand up to it.”

We must bear in mind that a "snitch" in this case is a police officer who wants to do the right thing. This is an officer who actually believes that the laws should apply to everyone. But States, by definition, divide people into two classes: one class who makes and enforces the laws and another class who must follow the law. This is because a State, by definition, is a monopoly law-giver and is a judge of all conflict in its territory including conflicts involving itself. If State officials are actually bound by law, then the State is no longer a law-giver. Nor is the State ultimate judge of conflict. These officers threaten the State's monopoly because they are essentially arguing that there are laws that bind the State. That is, these officers' actions demonstrate that there are rules to which the State is bound. But the State cannot be bound by rules because, by definition, it is a monopoly law-giver. And since it is the ultimate judge of conflicts including conflicts involving itself, the State has no incentive to rule against itself. 

Here's Something Hopeful for a Change

Given that my most optimistic posts are cat videos, I thought that should link to a few posts that are actually optimistic about our future.

Here's a good review of Thomas Woods new book Rollback from Robert Wenzel.

Here's another good review of Rollback from Jeffery Tucker.

And here's George Donnelly on perseverance.

Can the TSA Be Defeated?

If a society permits one portion of its citizenry to be menaced or destroyed, then, very soon, no one in that society is safe. The forces thus released in the people can never be held in check, but run their devouring course, destroying the very foundations which it was imagined they would save. James Baldwin

I have to travel for my job this spring and I am already nervously anticipating airline security theater. I will try to avoid the scanners if I can, but I don't think I will opt-out if given the choice. This is because I follow The Daily Patdown regularly and I honestly think that if a TSA agent touches me as one did this gentleman, I might lose it. Of course, the entire purpose of these enhanced pat-downs it to compel airline passengers to get into the porno-scanners. And the purpose of the porno-scanners is to serve as a cashcow for the security-industrial-complex. The fact this is so obvious truly infuriates me. When I hear Janet Napolitano or John Pistole argue that such measures are necessary for our safety, I find myself filled with a fiery rage that each day threatens to erode what remains of my humanity that I've been able to preserve in spite of constant assaults the by State.

Why does this enrage me, you ask? Because I have a hard time believing that Pistole and Napalitano truly believe the bullshit they spew. I have hard time believing that they themselves honestly think their dictates keep the American people safe. The holes in security are obvious to anyone who wishes to see them. Recently a pilot videotaped some of these holes and the response of the government was to disarm the pilot and investigate him. So it is very, very clear that the purpose of the TSA is airline security theater. And I would feel less rage if Pistole and Napolitano were honest about their true goals: that they are fascist tyrants who want to control our lives and order us around like beasts of burden. But they would never say anything like this. I understand why, of course. Being that obvious might tip off most of the slaves. Yet these ridiculous and false cries of security and safety truly insult my intelligence and I hate that. But I digress.

Given that the media attention to the opponents of the TSA has dissipated, I continue to wonder if the TSA can be defeated. Not rolled back, not reformed, not changed, but actually abolished in my lifetime. I have reason to doubt this.

Malcolm X on House Slaves Versus Field Slaves

For Black History Month, I'm dedicating this speech to all black FBI agents, black DEA agents, black CIA agents, black NSA agents, black TSA agents, black ATF agents, black Department of Homeland Security agents, black U.S. Customs agents, black IRS agents, black U.S. Marshals, black Secret Service agents, black Department of Defense officials, black Department of Justice officials, black soldiers, black politicians, black prosecutors, and black cops in every State of the Union. And a special dedication goes to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, current U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and first black president of the United States Barak Obama. I hope Massa is paying you well to keep his house from burning down. I'm praying for wind.

 

 

I'm on Twitter

Yes, I realize that announcing that I now have a Twitter account in 2011 is like saying, "Hey, I just got an MP3 player!" (A digression-I had a harsh wake up call that compelled me to buy my first MP3 player. Years ago I was on the treadmill at the gym with my CD player that played MP3s and a woman who looked to be about 60-years-old got on the treadmill next to me and pulled out an IPod. I ordered my first MP3 player as soon as I got home that night).

You can follow me @marcjbrutus.

Another Potential Employee for the TSA

An Ohio State recruit was arrested on suspicion of fondling as many as eight female classmates. His football career might be done, but if he is guility, he can always have a successful career as a TSA employee.

TSA to Debut New Scanner This Month

CNN and The Washington Post are reporting that the TSA is trying out new scanners at three airports. CNN states

Tests are beginning on a software change in airport passenger scanning machines that will discontinue the display of personal body characteristics while still promising to catch questionable objects, the Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday.

"We believe it addresses the privacy issues," Administrator John Pistole told reporters at a demonstration of the new software, now being tested at Reagan Washington National Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

If the field trials are successful, the software will be put into the advanced imaging technology machines already being used at airports across the country.

And according to The Washington Post,

New software designed to make airport security scanners less intrusive will debut at the Las Vegas airport Tuesday.

Instead of sending a revealing image to be examined in a private security booth, new software will project a non-gender-specific silhouette on a small screen attached to the scanning booth.

If the passenger is carrying any contraband items a red box will appear on the screen. Otherwise it will flash a green okay.

I welcome these changes. It's clear that my concerns over the TSA and privacy are no longer justified. I'm certain that the images will be "non-gender-specific", just as the TSA says. Yes, I know that the TSA lied in the past about how detailed these images were. The TSA said the images looked like this when in reality they looked like this. And yes, I also know that Pistole's comment about addressing privacy concerns is a tacit admission from the head of the TSA that the TSA did, in fact, lie about what these images looked like. And I also realize that the entire reason why the TSA enacted the molestation sexual assault enhanced security pat-downs is to compel airline passengers to get into a scanner that might give them cancer, allows TSA agents to see them naked, and rakes in tons of cash for the congressional industrial security complex. But we should forgive and forget. TSA agents will no longer be able to distinguish between males and females while watching us from their private viewing security booth. Clearly the TSA did what they had to do to protect us. And if lying to the American public makes us safe, then tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies, Mr. Pistole.

Given that this is Black History Month, I am so proud as an African-American man to know that my ancestors fought against the humiliation and oppression of private slavery advocated by white men so that little black boys and black girls, little white boys and white girls can now all endure the humiliation and oppression of public slavery advocated by a black man. Who says black people have not progressed in this country?