{"id":44667,"date":"2022-02-14T08:37:10","date_gmt":"2022-02-14T16:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/?p=44667"},"modified":"2022-02-14T09:00:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-14T17:00:35","slug":"a-ramble-through-the-collapsing-oligarchy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/14\/a-ramble-through-the-collapsing-oligarchy\/","title":{"rendered":"A ramble through the collapsing oligarchy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/zSMEa2Ox2LE\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>(H\/T Brad; from the early days of the convoy, but forever heartening)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%C3%80_la_lanterne\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>aristos<\/em><\/a> are scared.<\/p>\n<p>Question is: Are they scared <em>enough<\/em>? That is, do they finally realize it&#8217;s time &#8212; and past time &#8212; to heed the pleas of the peasants?<\/p>\n<p>Answer (of course): No.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, some of the lower level, more directly accountable ones &#8212; provincial and state governors &#8212; are grudgingly getting the message. (Thank you, Canadian truckers.) At higher levels, they still seem to think, as aristos always think, that a vigorous ass-kicking or a handy war will put an end to the uppitiness and afterward we can all get back to our jobs of enriching and empowering them.<\/p>\n<p>They will not get it until it&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%C3%87a_Ira\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>\u00c7a ira<\/em><\/a> time, when it will be too late.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>Most answers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/11\/friday-freedom-question-the-truckers\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Friday&#8217;s freedom question<\/a> were marvelously optimistic. <em>The truckers will win! Or have already won.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d like to believe it. Sometimes I even <em>do<\/em> believe it for hours on end. They are in an unusual position of strength for Mere Peasants. Bless them for their decency and focus. Bless the wide world, especially those otherwise polite Canadians, for rallying around them.<\/p>\n<p>My own thoughts when I posted the question &#8220;What will happen TO the truckers and what will happen AFTER the truckers?&#8221; were more like this: The truckers will eventually be crushed in some violent or ignominious way. They and their families and supporters will suffer terribly. But their destruction will trigger a global uprising that will overwhelm the oligarchy.<\/p>\n<p>The aristos will do something stupid. Because that&#8217;s what aristos do when peasants dare stand up to them.<\/p>\n<p>Well, they and their agents are <a href=\"https:\/\/twitchy.com\/dougp-3137\/2022\/02\/12\/next-level-art-of-war-tactic-toronto-police-closed-expressways-so-they-couldnt-be-blocked-by-incoming-freedom-convoy-protesters\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">already pulling some laughably dumb stunts<\/a>. But I&#8217;m talking about The Big Stupid. The final one of many that leads to <em>\u00c7a ira<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>Two points of agreement are coalescing on both the &#8220;right&#8221; and that portion of the &#8220;left&#8221; that remains sane.<\/p>\n<p>1. The more dimwitted of the aristos (e.g. Pajama Boy Trudeau) are already doomed to fall. But the more cagey or protected aristos won&#8217;t give up the belief that We the Peasants (and specifically, They the Truckers) are simply an inconvenient nail they can send their hammer wielders to slam back down.<\/p>\n<p>2. The real, deeper, most immediate message of the truckers and all the protesting peasants who believe in freedom is: &#8220;We don&#8217;t work for you.&#8221; YOU are supposed to work for us (however absurdly idealistic that notion has always been).<\/p>\n<p>On the &#8220;right,&#8221; Roger Kimball says <a href=\"https:\/\/amgreatness.com\/2022\/02\/12\/oligarchys-response-to-the-freedom-convoy-bodes-ill-for-them\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trudeau has already had his Ceaucescu moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On the &#8220;left,&#8221; the scathingly wonderful Matt Taibbi, in a subscribers-only post, writes:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The White House issued a statement Friday, after Joe Biden chatted with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The two leaders agreed that the actions of the individuals who are obstructing travel and commerce between our two countries are having significant direct impacts on citizens\u2019 lives and livelihoods\u2026 The Prime Minister promised quick action in enforcing the law, and the President thanked him for the steps he and other Canadian authorities are taking to restore the open passage of bridges to the United States.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Translation: Biden told Trudeau his testicles will be crushed under a Bradley Fighting Vehicle if this trucker thing is allowed to screw up the Super Bowl, or Biden\u2019s State of the Union address. Trudeau\u2019s own statement that day came off like the recorded video message of a downed pilot: <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I\u2019ve been absolutely clear that using military forces against civilian populations, in Canada, or in any other democracy, is something to avoid having to do at all costs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>An anxious Trudeau promised to deploy law enforcement in a \u201cpredictable, progressive approach\u201d that would emphasize fines and other punishments. Because demonstrators will see that the \u201cconsequences\u201d for those continuing to engage in \u201cillegal protests\u201d are \u201cgoing to be more and more extensive,\u201d he said, \u201cwe are very hopeful\u201d that \u201cpeople will choose to leave these protests peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Switching gears just a bit, he then added, \u201cWe are a long way from ever having to call in the military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Such a move, he said, would only be a \u201clast resort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And, er: \u201cWe have to be ready for any eventuality\u201d:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;We are a long way from ever having to call in the military. Although, of course, we have to be ready for any eventuality. But it is not something we are seriously contemplating at this time,\u201d says PM Trudeau when asked re: prospect of military role in ending blockades.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Trudeau\u2019s speech was clearly designed to convey to protesters that he was under heavy pressure to call in the air strike, making the New York Times headline covering all this \u2014 \u201cTrudeau Rejects Calls to Use Military to End Protests\u201d \u2014 particularly humorous in its disingenuousness.<\/p>\n<p>Now that the \u201cFreedom Convoy\u201d is inspiring similar protests not just in the United States but in France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, and other places, it\u2019s clear every Western leader from Biden to Emmanuel Macron on down wants Trudeau, rather than any of them, to take the political hit that would ensue from any use-of-force resolution to this crisis. All of these leaders seem equally to be laboring under the delusion that a decisive enough ass-kicking in the Great White North will make this all go away. Until then, there seems to be no plan in any country that doesn\u2019t involve tear gas, truncheons, or getting Facebook to blame troll farms in Bangladesh for stirring up the \u201cdiscord\u201d:<\/p>\n<p>As for talking to protesters, that\u2019s out of the question. As Politico recently put it, the \u201cconspiratorial mindset\u201d of the demonstrators means \u201csitting down with them could legitimize their concerns.\u201d Since we can\u2019t under any circumstances have that, the only option left is the military \u201ceventuality.\u201d Or, as former Obama Deputy Homeland Security Secretary and CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem (the same person who went nanny-bonkers over the Southwest Air \u201cLet\u2019s Go Brandon\u201d incident) put it, \u201cSlash the tires, empty gas tanks, arrest the drivers, and move the trucks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Any sane person should be able to see where any of these ideas would lead. The problem is, we\u2019re heading into our third decade of Western leaders embracing not thinking ahead as a core national security concept. It\u2019s like these people went to anti-governing school.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>No matter who speaks, no matter how eloquently or fiercely &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/QOxKpCeJPRE\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>No matter how many consequences they force others to suffer &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\/2022\/02\/video-not-single-celebrity-wearing-mask-super-bowl-including-hypocrite-mayor-eric-garcetti\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">They<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Do.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/4a8ZRipbeRo\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<p><em>(H\/T <a href=\"https:\/\/borepatch.blogspot.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Borepatch<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ericpetersautos.com\/2022\/02\/13\/the-silence-of-the-cases\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Not.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hollandcourtney\/status\/1491996868829614081\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Get.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/borepatch.blogspot.com\/2022\/02\/for-kims-caption-contest.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">It.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/blog_borepatchzebra.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/blog_borepatchzebra.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"255\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44678\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But they will. They will. <\/p>\n<p>If they happen to get it good and hard, it&#8217;s their fault, and theirs alone.<\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p><em>Donate:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/tallyco.in\/s\/lzxccm\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bitcoin for the truckers<\/a> (H\/T Cube64)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/givesendgo.com\/FreedomConvoy2022?utm_source=sharelink&#038;utm_medium=copy_link&#038;utm_campaign=FreedomConvoy2022\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GiveSendGo campaign for the truckers<\/a> (GiveSendGo is down this morning. Hoping for a quick return.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(H\/T Brad; from the early days of the convoy, but forever heartening) The aristos are scared. Question is: Are they scared enough? That is, do they finally realize it&#8217;s time &#8212; and past time &#8212; to heed the pleas of the peasants? Answer (of course): No. Sure, some of the lower level, more directly accountable ones &#8212; provincial and state governors &#8212; are grudgingly getting the message. (Thank you, Canadian truckers.) At higher levels, they still seem to think, as aristos always think, that a vigorous ass-kicking or a handy war will put an end to the uppitiness and afterward&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/2022\/02\/14\/a-ramble-through-the-collapsing-oligarchy\/\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">A ramble through the collapsing oligarchy<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9,11,18,23,28,30,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cultural-insanity","category-free-speech","category-government","category-mind-and-spirit","category-thuggery-and-bad-law","category-privacy-and-self-ownership","category-resistance","category-war","ratio-natural","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44667"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44686,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44667\/revisions\/44686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}