Source: http://lewrockwell.com

by Gary D. Barnett

Democracy, which I consider to be the first step or beginning of socialism, thrives on propaganda, and uses this propaganda to indoctrinate the people. Once this indoctrination is complete, totalitarianism is the end result, and then propaganda is replaced by the razor’s edge of the state’s sword. This is our lot today. Propaganda has labeled those of us who desire to protect freedom as dissenters, and as enemies of the State. Given the now “legal” ability of the State to imprison indefinitely or murder any it chooses to, the sword has become the state’s weapon of choice. The circle is nearly complete!

According to a Reuter’s article published recently, the “FBI warns of threat from anti-government extremists.” “Anti-government extremists opposed to taxes and regulations pose a growing threat to local law enforcement officers in the United States, the FBI warned on Monday.” The article went on to say that: “These extremists, sometimes known as “sovereign citizens,” believe they can live outside any type of government authority.

Pay careful attention to who is now considered to be an extremist according to the FBI. Those who refuse to pay or even those who oppose taxation, those who defy government environmental regulations, and those who believe the United States went bankrupt by going off the gold standard, are now all considered to be extremists!

To expand on this matter, it is a point of fact that any real libertarian is opposed to forced government taxation, is opposed to government mandated environmental regulations, and all real libertarians fully understand that the creation of the Federal Reserve and the destruction of the gold standard have bankrupted this country. Or is losing 97% of the value on our money not considered bankruptcy?

One thing that was correct in this article was this statement: “Routine encounters with police can turn violent “at the drop of a hat,” said Stuart McArthur, deputy assistant director in the FBI’s counterterrorism division.” Yes, any wrong look or posture by any citizen can result in extreme violence against that innocent citizen by police. This is proven every single day around this country, but I should mention that McArthur was mistakenly referring to violence by the citizen against police. What a queer position to take!

State and local police departments are inundating the FBI with requests for training to protect themselves from sovereign citizens. This statement has obviously been reversed, as I always thought that the sovereign citizen was to be protected by local and state police, not the other way around. It seems the idea of sovereignty is now reserved only to the nation state and its agents of force. This of course is backward, but then again, what in this country remains proper, and in the interest of liberty? Little or nothing remains, as the U.S. has become nothing more than a tyrannical, fascist oligarchy!

We are very close to the bottom of the sleigh run on our way down that slippery slope toward a total police state. Most of the pieces of the puzzle are now in place, and all that is left for the government authorities to do is to round up those “extremist sovereigns” still practicing their anti-government ways. With the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA), and the now new expanded FBI definition of an extremist, all that remains to be done is to actually capture and incarcerate all those who believe themselves to be sovereign individuals.

Consider that being anti-government, or even speaking out against the government, or wanting to protect your hard earned property by insisting on real money, or not agreeing with government regulations, can now literally lead to indefinite military detention without any due process or trial. Consider that any who believe in individual sovereignty can now be sent away to black sites around the world, tortured, or worse, via the rendition process. Consider that any resistance to the State can now lead to arrest, imprisonment, beatings, or death. Consider that this once (so-called) free country is now a total police state bent on the destruction of all natural rights of individuals, and the U.S. government is desirous of total power and control over the entire population.

In reality these things do not have to be considered, because they are already happening! Some of the state’s indiscretions are still partially isolated at this time, but the fact of the matter is that legally, nothing stands in the way of this government’s desire to reach a dictatorial pinnacle.

The NDAA gives the government, mainly the executive branch, Carte blanche power in its march toward rounding up any American that it deems as a threat to its false sovereignty. This power not only extends to the capture and detention of citizens, but the president also claims the power to assassinate any he chooses to on his say so alone. He claims this power without fear of law, and without fear of judicial scrutiny. The powerful in government you see, are now in a position that puts them “legally” above the law, and therefore they answer to no one. This situation is a travesty beyond imagination, but it is real, and it is firmly in place.

Given the horrible USA PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act, the NDAA, and all the other rights destroying legislation passed since September 11^th, 2001, what chance do we have to regain freedom? Given the massive power now evident in the Department of Homeland Security, the military, the TSA, the NSA, the CIA, the FBI, does liberty have a chance? Can freedom be regained in an environment tainted by the malignancy of this monster we call the U.S. government?

Who among us could be considered by this government’s definition to be an enemy belligerent, an enemy combatant, an unlawful combatant, a terrorist, an extremist, a believer in gold as money, a survivalist, or a libertarian? If you answered yes to any of these things, you could be subject to arrest, prosecution, incarceration, indefinite detention, citizenship loss, torture, or assassination. This is the country that has been built by all those who support this flawed system of government, and who continue to allow its aggressive march toward totalitarianism by their implied consent and apathetic behavior. Those I speak of have no understanding of freedom or liberty, and have not the courage to fight for right. They either worship authority, or fear it, but either way brings a deserved slavery.

Those of us who fight for freedom will never accept slavery. Those of us who believe in the sovereignty of the individual will never bow to the state apparatus. Those of us who seek the truth will never hide from it. Those of us who believe in the sanctity of life and liberty will continue to fight.

The State understands this courage and commitment, and will take every step to stop it. But if those who are willing to fight for the liberty of all are no longer present due to government mandate, what will become of the rest of society? What will become of freedom?

February 10, 2012

Gary D. Barnett [send him mail] is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana. Visit his website.