Or maybe I should ask — Do you see yourself as living in your “country of record,” wherever and whatever it may be?
Of course, whether we’re anarchists, minarchists, unquestioning patriots, or brain-dead vegetables (but I repeat myself), we do reside within some country of record. Obviously a fact, even when we philosophically posture against bondage or allegiance to any governmental gang.
But I’m asking about perceptions. The other day I read an article on LewRockwell.com about “Renewing the Patriot Act while America Sleeps.” I was struck by how little I cared, even though it was a fine, informative article. Sometimes I find myself not caring simple because one can’t get all het up about every piece of creepy news without going bonkers. But in this case, I felt as if the author, John W. Whitehead, was talking about some other nation — some far-off tyranny (call it DCLand, Mordor, or whatever you wish) having nothing to do with me.
Just a feeling.
I live in the rainy NorthWET, in a river valley lined with evergreens. I live in a small town where, if I have a problem with the local government, I can walk over to City Hall and probably get it solved by an actual, probably even friendly, human being. I live where the cops wave at me as I walk my dogs down the highway (and where one of those cops stopped the other day to shoo a loose neighborhood pooch off the street without ticketing the owners or confiscating the hound). Where I live, I enjoy the fabled “blessings of liberty,” partly because some old dead guys were smart enough to recognize them and because a lot of other old dead guys (and women) in my family tree were smart enough to seek them. And because I seek those blessings, too. I can’t imagine anybody here reporting a neighbor to the Department of Homeland (Achtung!) Security without some sort of extreme provocation. I don’t thnk too many feddies are tapping too many phones around here, mostly because they prefer cities (barring the occasional Randy Weaver or militia case). I’m under no illusion that this government or these cops in this isolated corner of the world are my friends. But I live with them. And get by from day to day. I feel very, very far away from that other government and its cops, spies, soldiers, and other arms of its “security apparatus.”
We’re all subject to the stormtroopers of the American empire. No illusions about that. But then, so is everybody, all over the world. But aren’t most of us, in our tiny bergs or backwoods homesteads, actually farther from DCLand’s influence that the people of, say, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, or Egypt?
Well, as messed up as our country is, I am still proud to be an American. Even though there is little freedom evident some days, we are still a beacon on the hill for many that would throw off the yoke of tyranny. One of the great opportunities we have is the ability to throw out our government every 4 years, and to keep it on it’s toes in by-year elections. It’s not perfect, and we need to exercise that ballot box stridently, but it still beats about any other country in the world.
I’ve tried to tell people I am not a “citizen of the USA”, but a denizen of America. They don’t get the difference. I still believe the USA is the gravest threat America has ever faced.
I would probably feel less of the USA’s influence here if this were not such a stronghold of the “religious right” and thus worshipers of the US military/law imposement. They rant against socialism while cashing their Social Security checks and farm subsidies. They support the War on (some) Drugs unquestioningly but grumble about jumping through the hoops to get their prescriptions. Of course, this is the drug users’ fault and not the fault of those who make the silly “laws”, according to the locals. Sigh.
The local air force base also means there are too many feds in the area to suit me.
However, I’ve never lived anywhere that was perfect. I avoid what I can, ignore what I can’t avoid, and do what I can to make my personal sphere a little better.
From Senator Feingold (in the first quote of the link): “But that probably would not be a country in which we would want to live. And that would not be a country for which we could, in good conscience, ask our young people to fight and die.”
From Claire: “But aren’t most of us, in our tiny bergs or backwoods homesteads, actually farther from DCLand’s influence that the people of, say, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, or Egypt?”
Yes. And why should we ask our young people to fight and die in OTHER countries, if we ourselves would not want to live in our own country under those same circumstances as Feingold mentions? Aren’t we the “terrorists” in those other countries?
I’m farther from DC mentally than I’ve ever been. My response to fedgov has changed drastically — the meaner it gets, the more “who-gives-a-s**t” I’ve become. That’s because I consider the fedgov has declared war on me (and everyone else), and I tend to want to fight rather than flight.
I’ve resigned myself to doing what needs to be done if/when TSHTF. Now I just wait for whatever comes, and live in my own small world in the meantime.
I view the media in the same way as I do radiation-small doses infrequently and it’s probably harmless. The USA has its problems, but the rest of the world is just as bad, likely worse. We do have the ability to throw out those we elect, if need be.
Small town governments can be easier to deal with simply because they probably live there, too. Same for the cops-if they’re too prickish,well, cooperation from the locals can drop to zero. Despite the Hollywood image, samll town cops are usually far more laid back and understanding than urban equivalents.
At least in the places I’ve lived, ratting someone out over non-violent/property damaging events is considered immoral-if my neighbor is less than forthcoming about income with the IRS,that’s nunna. Small towns generally have less in the way of fees,permits,and other money sinks that have no benefit to those living there. When I lived in rural Florida,there was virtually no law/bureaucratic presence..and no one seemed to notice the lack.
I’m not too fond of where I live; all that great stuff you hear about living in a southern small town…I’m just not finding it true here. Hospitable, down to earth people who know what it means to be a good neighbor have been almost completely replaced by rude jerkoffs who are always in your business, both personally and by nudging their way into every local office and PTA meeting they can find in a quest to spend money nobody has on things nobody needs, and to make sure the local elementery schools are using the proper ammount of purell on their precious little ones.
Sort of like the Birkers from hardyville, except that these types are 100% native to the area. It’s sad how things can get so ass-backwards in the space of one generation of adults.
But I’m on my way out of here so whatever!
somebody else problem…till your doors blown open, in come the flash-bangs, followed by the wanna-be delta types…
Live in the USA? No, not really. I live on the king’s land (or so he claims) and it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference if I get to choose a new king (or local princes) every 4 years or so because others still believe in ‘authority’ and are willing to enforce (i.e., violence) the kings ‘laws’ on me.
But life is relatively good, I stay under the radar (I hope) so I only have to ‘donate’ ~40% of my livelihood to ‘protect’ my livelihood. Makes sense huh?
well said
Claire makes the great point that many of us, who live here, have much less to fear from the US federal government, on a day to day basis, than do many people in other parts of the world. Probably true, but can you spell BLOW-BACK? Those oppressed and the relatives of those our government kills may not choose to overlook the fact that “we” provided the funding and support for the beast with our taxes and votes.
Larken Rose’s latest book points out that “The Most Dangerous Superstition” is the belief in authority. Over 100 million died in the last century due to the belief in, NO, the worship of the monster called authority. I hope our progeny take better care during this century than we and our forebears did in the last century, by casting off The Most Dangerous Superstition. http://www.larkenrose.com/
The problem, Claire, is that it is very easy for Washington’s minions to come visit us – either in person or through their state surrogates from Pierre or Denver or Boise or wherever. And they bring the monster with them. So we will enjoy the same “attention” that folks in Mesopotamia or the mountains of south Asia have.
And even the local folks – like the cop you mention, or the county clerk or recorder or town hall clerk – end up bringing DC to us, in too many ways, if we try to do anything. “Sure, you don’t have to have anything but a $100 driveway permit to connect your new house to the county road, ’cause we don’t require building permits for houses. BUT since you will disturb more than one acre, you have to have a state-issued, federally-approved storm water permit for construction, AND since the local FWS and USDA office marked this little swamp your driveway has to go around as a “wetland” you have to file a Section 404 permit with the Corps of Engineers and do a threatened and endangered species study because you might have a rare orchid and a dung beetle that could live on your land, and no, you can’t use gravel from your neighbor’s place for your driveway in exchange for giving him that old ’73 Ford pickup because he doesn’t have a mining and reclamation permit and besides, you have to register that truck and he will have to pay taxes. And if we let you build that driveway without all these permits and don’t make you do all this, Ms. Grundy, who just retired from her $200,000 a year job in California and moved back to her childhood home, you know, she lives a couple miles past you on that county road, will call her friends up at the State Environmental Office and rat the County out for not enforcing the state and federal laws, and she’ll also call Ms. Uptight, over in the next county, who runs the office for the Corps of Engineers – and then they’ll come to the next Commissioners’ meeting…” And Ms. Grundy’s son Phillip is an attorney, and he’ll file a lawsuit against the county…”
We cannot isolate ourselves enough from DC. America IS better off than the rest of the world: I’ve seen much of Europe and a slice of Latin America and know that for a fact. But we still are stuck in this mess, and unless we want to play Unibomber without the mail business, we can’t get far enough from it to be safe, ultimately.
gawd…………….
We actually have not changed our government to any significant degree in any recent election. This is because we are ruled by executive branch regulatory agencies, not by our legislature. The minions of these agencies continue on, in the same way, despite any leadership changes. Their regulatory rulebook, the Code of Federal Regulations, only grows. The same is largely true of state government. As Nathan points out in his examples, it is against these minions that we butt heads in our daily pursuits, not against legislators.
Oh, yeah, definitely – it’s “Ms. Grundy” and her army that worries me more than anything….(how appropriate “where she moved from” as well)….
I’m about to move again, and each time it gets harder and harder to get farther away from em……