Pissant Patriots

Pissant Patriots

Charlie Earl

Politicians, bureaucrats and public servants of all stripes take an oath upon assuming office. Upon uttering the final syllable many of them begin to violate their vows. They represent the first wave of patriots who are neither patriotic nor trustworthy. Because of their status as elite members of government, their perfidy cannot be prosecuted and their accountability is nil. Their arrogance is only exceeded by their narcissism because of their beliefs that their positions and decisions are more worthy than ours. Thus… they do not consider oath breaking to be a fault but rather oath taking as small insignificant step towards their rightful places as our superior leaders. They are pissants because their self-contained universe is filled with their self-important egos.

Know-it-alls, do-gooders and grand schemers are another type of patriotic puissant. They exude a sense of certitude when they proclaim their remedies for what ails the rest of us. Their vast knowledge and flawless understanding of our weaknesses and our failures allow them to pompously prescribe potent panaceas for all the ills that plague our nation. Their usually statist remedies are based on their assumption that we are incapable of managing ourselves and that the good of the nation state would be best served if we would genuflect and acknowledge their superior antidotes for what vexes us. They celebrate the power of the collective state and consider themselves to be essential contributors to the common good. You’ll find them scattered among the various universities, think tanks and non-profit organizations that hover around the centers of power.

Pissantism (my apologies) is not centered only in the political and intellectual classes. Patriotic pissants are prevalent among the arts and the pseudo-arts. Many of the members of the ‘artistic’ class appear to mentally stunted and emotionally over loaded. First…allow me to admit a degree of bias about artists….particularly actors. I find it difficult to take someone seriously whose primary claim to fame is pretending to be someone else. It seems logical to me that immersing oneself in numerous roles may cause one to have a stunted self identity. Consequently…actors and artist must scramble to appear self-aware, but lack the necessary cognitive abilities and solid personalities to be truly independent agents. They tend to “go with the flow” and parrot the talking points that permeate throughout their class. They claim their inane utterances spring from the font of patriotism, but their mindless chatter demeans the public discourse and adds little to our national conversation. Their ignorance is often appalling, and their words verify their lack of knowledge and depth.

Journalists of all media represent a special sector of the pissant patriots. Their unabashed and unashamed ignorance as they report the ‘news’…. real or imaginary.. is truly dreadful. As the gatekeepers and guardians of the national discussion, their failures, omissions and commissions are legendary. Perhaps their greatest shortcomings are their dismissive attitudes regarding the capacity of the people and the context of the Constitution of the United States. A genuine Fourth Estate press corps is vital for a republic. Citizens must have unvarnished and untarnished information about the activities of their elected and appointed stewards. When the news disseminators become mouthpieces and flacks for government (in the name of patriotism), the tenuous tentacles of trust are severed and the people are not truly informed. Likewise…. when the journalists insist on berating, downgrading or degrading principled politicians simply because of their points of view, they subvert the element of trust between the citizen and the representative. Pissant journalists represent the vast majority of their “profession.” Their ignorance is exceeded only by their willingness to be tools for the statists.

“Pissant or piss-ant” is a real term that usually means: of little value or significance. I have not chosen this term to insult those whom I describe as pissants. If I had wanted to demean them, I would have selected a more accurately descriptive term such as “sh_theads.” The unfortunate aspect of this discussion is that while the pissants have little value or significance, they continue to influence a large number of citizens who confuse celebrity status with cerebral capacity. We and they should note that the path to liberty rarely goes through an ant colony. Stomp the pissants!!

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

        

Negative Happiness

Negative Happiness

Charlie Earl

Many people assume that happiness is a shining moment of momentary joy or the acquisition of some item or state of mind. My sense is that happiness, or perhaps more precisely… contentment, can be achieved through not having something. For example I do not have a sexually transmitted disease (STD). That makes me happy. I do not have to scratch in the dirt on a daily basis finding worms for dinner. That makes me happy. Writing an occasional column that does not generate wrath and furor…. sometimes makes me happy. Managing to survive in Northwest Ohio until the end of January without plowing snow from my driveway makes me darned near ecstatic. Bottom line is that happiness doesn’t always involve a trip to Disneyland. It can be a quiet afternoon at home with no interruptions.

Happiness or its pursuit is highly contextual and personal. For those of us who cherish liberty happiness can be defined simply as having the government and its assortment of do-gooders just leaving us alone. Solitude and reflection are not typical notions of happiness, but for some of us they are illusive and coveted. For example, I prefer to watch meaningful events alone. Ohio State versus Michigan football games, the Super Bowl, election debates and election returns are the types of activities that I enjoy absorbing without continuous input and chatter from others. So, based on my own personal preferences, I can conclude that happiness can be the avoidance of annoyance. That could explain why politicians generally cause me to be unhappy.

Happiness as a dramatic event or special occasion is radically overrated. How many long-anticipated family vacations turn out as giddily enchanting as the expectations? How many glamorous brides have shed tears over some minor mishap during what should be one of the most glorious days of her life? No…happiness is rarely accompanied by rolling drums and trumpets blaring. It is more often similar to the soothing sounds of a harp or a gentle violin solo. Happiness is more often co-joined with contentment than with adrenaline. The pursuit of happiness should a solid journey toward self fulfillment rather than a frantic scramble for fleeting fun. Happiness is not hedonistic grasping but more like sweetly savoring moments of achievement and peace.

For many, happiness is equated with escapism. Through drugs, alcohol or any number of personality-altering enhancements, some folks seem driven to look for happiness beyond their daily realities. They haven’t yet accepted the fact that after the escapist journey has ended….reality remains. The pathway towards fulfillment, contentment and happiness is similar to playing one’s way around a Monopoly board. Each little step, every new property leads one toward victory. A player cannot conquer the board with one move because it requires a series of well-executed maneuvers to reach the final goal. There may be setbacks or losses, but the player can never claim victory while sitting idle or withdrawing. The game must be played one step at a time.

Obviously the pursuit of true happiness is more than just a game, but the applications and lessons learned are similar. The board defines the parameters of the pursuit, and it is often wiser to seek happiness in little ways in tiny increments rather than to jump off the board. The disciplined life is a proven path to happiness if it does not become an obsessive quest. Happiness does not have to be a pedal-to-the-metal pursuit. It can be one’s reward for doing the little things well. Enjoy the game, and may your properties be loaded with hotels.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

  

Story Lines

Story Lines

Charlie Earl

Sports reporters are similar to their senseless counterparts who cover “serious” news. They behave like lemmings and follow the compelling story line of the day. Be it “Harbowl,” “Sibling Rivalry,” or “The Brother Bowl,” the Super Bowl reports about the contest between the San Francisco Fortyniners and the Baltimore Ravens will be dominated by the relationship of their respective coaches. Reporters and story lines go together in the same way that piranha fish and floundering water buffalo’s do. As the frenzied fish are feasting on the unfortunate critter, other significant foods sources may be floating down the river but the single-purposed mindset of the fierce amphibians causes them to ignore it. Reporters and so-called journalists grasp a story line and follow it to absurdity while other more relevant ones may be ignored.

As a former instructor for journalists and reporter wannabes, I can attest that many lack the two most critical attributes that are vital for disseminating the news to citizens. Those are curiosity and the thirst for knowledge. Many people in the news and sports realms are grossly ignorant, unaware of their ignorance and stay that way for most of their careers. What little curiosity they do possess is wasted on meaningless and salacious inquiries that do nothing to truly inform the public. We are presented with a series of worthless “facts” that do not expand our field of knowledge nor do they elevate our discourse. Titillating scandal sells papers and opinions delivered as facts are broadcast into the homes of gullible viewers. What passes for news is more accurately labeled as commentary or gossip meanwhile too many of our citizens are captivated by the irrelevant and lulled by the unimportant. In defense of the “news” industry it is impossible to inform us of everything that has occurred in any given day. It is just as difficult to make us aware of every important activity of any day so why do they waste our time and theirs by including fluffy feel-good feature stories when there is too much “hard news” to fit into the coverage window? The gate keepers determine what stories are worthy of our attention.

The guardians of the republic, the gatekeepers, decide what stories to print or broadcast (or cablecast or dishcast) and determine their positions of importance relative to the other events of the day. The editors and producers are the gatekeepers of information in the papers, on the newscasts and the webcasts. If the event is consistent with their storyline or agenda, it will receive a prominent position in the news. If not, the event may not be covered at all or relegated to an obscure position. Just like the Congressional staff members control the flow of information to our exalted leaders, the gatekeepers manipulate the “news” that we see or hear every day. Governments at all levels also function as gatekeepers. That is why we have classified documents, secret negotiations and enabling legislation. They rightly fear that full disclosure may incite the peasants. Just like grammar-school children, they revel in their secretive positions because it enhances their power over you and me. How can we legitimately complain when we lack all “the facts?”

The primary difference between government and media gatekeepers is their access to or willingness to acquire information. Although many in government may not possess all the information and details about a given event or law, they nevertheless believe they know enough to warrant its secrecy. The media, on the other hand, rarely know enough and even more rarely question the existence of hidden facts and information, but they filter what they do know through an ideological prism. Secrets, therefore become more insulated because politicians wish to protect their legacies and journalists wish to shield the political class….. or they might lose “access” to the power brokers. Together they form an unholy alliance of gatekeepers to surround the citizens in darkness and insulate themselves from accountability. What a deal! It may be time to charge the gates and wrest the power of information control from the current holders of the keys.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

Liberty's Leeches

Liberty’s Leeches

Charlie Earl

Leeches are bloodsuckers, and generally are considered to be parasitic and unhealthy. Historically leeches were vital components of medical care because they were used to drain “malevolent” blood from diseased or infected bodies. Progressives and statists are very similar to leeches in the political sense because they lure us with their life-saving prescriptions but ultimately drain our vigor away once they become firmly attached to our political body. Just like their biological counterparts they cannot self-regulate when sucking the blood of a nation. They do not recognize that when they consume too much of the vital liquid, the patient will die. The blood they consume is liberty, and the more they ingest the closer the United States of America moves toward death.

Perhaps a hundred years from now if we continue at our current pace of government growth, there will be a United States of America. It will not be the same nation we have today, nor will it in any shape or form resemble its founding. The only “united” aspect of the nation will be the citizens’ fear and loathing of their malevolent overseers. The only “states’ element of that country will be a series of arbitrary lines with no distinction among the various geographical sectors. “America” will simply be a hemispheric reference rather than a word that triggers dreams and hopes for desperate people across the planet. “America” as an idea or a promising vision will join the ranks of Shangri La and Nirvana as imaginary or mythical destinations for those who are burdened and damaged by reality of living in an oppressive state. Medieval medicos would apply a leech or two upon the afflicted area. If the infirmed did not improve quickly enough, more leeches would attached around the offensive area.

The ancient medical practitioners failed to understand the circulatory nature of our vascular system. Thirteenth century Arabs had some rudimentary knowledge of the nature of the circulatory system, but it wasn’t until the 16^th Century that William Harvey outlined the interconnected and comprehensive nature of the system. Today… there are many voices crying about the ignorant practice of too-big government’s leeching. Meanwhile the huge government apparatus at all levels….local, state and national….are sucking the life-blood of freedom from our republic and its people in numerous ways and by multiple means. Prohibitions and mandates compete for our unfailing compliance.  The leeches are everywhere and each little evil organism is taking a portion of our liberty. Even when we successfully remove one or two of the nasty blood suckers, a host of them remain.

So…who are the fake doctors and false shamans who are applying the leeches to our nation’s body? They are numerous, relentless and powerful. The first among equals are the professional politicians who spend their lives running for offices to “solve” the very problems they create. Their susceptibility to emotional appeals, their willingness to embrace special interests and their burning lusts for power merge together to drive them to diminish our liberty while improving their own fortunes….political and financial. Every little notion can be transformed into a great and necessary idea if a career politician senses an advantage from pursuing it. No idea or meddlesome regulation is too small for consideration if the politician will be hailed as a “savior” by some insignificant interest group or mammoth corporation.

The ants in the dirt otherwise known as the bureaucracy are indefatigable in their leeching of our freedom. As individuals they may be nice, generous and reasonable people, but in the aggregate each bureaucrat in his or her own sphere rules, regulates and mandates without a clear understanding about what other leeches in other departments, bureaus and agencies are doing to suck the blood out a robust body. Each little leech or rule may not provide the tipping point, but when combined, they leave a bloodless corpse. Millions of little ants across the nation are leeching the life’s blood from our people.

Other people…present company excepted… are inadvertently placing the blood-sucking annelids all over the body politic through their incessant demands that “government do something.” It could be a bicycle trail in the township, a new “bypass” highway in an urban center or an offensive grope and search regime at the nation’s airports. When citizens (and sometimes non-citizens) demand action, the ants and their careerists seek opportunities to comply, and thus, drain away a few more drops of our life force….our liberty. There are many other types of leeches that we’ll save for a later rant. Crony capitalists and lobbyists are two notable examples, but for now we must apply the tourniquet, remove the offending worms and renew our blood supply of freedom. Leeches are no longer considered sound medical practice, and we must ban them from our national body as well.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

cearlliberty@gmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com