The Tree of Liberty Must Be Refreshed
Published by Fred Soto• December 17th, 2007
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A revolution in America — no matter how you choose to define or characterize it — is still an American Revolution
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” — Thomas Jefferson
What happens when the threat to American government comes from within? There is the subtle and invisible war that is taking place at home. This War is between Americans with different understandings of what it means to be “American” and what it means to be “Free”. This war will NOT take place in the trenches and won’t be won with guns or knives.
This revolutionary war is taking place among America’s elite over control of our nation’s future. What better way to spearhead the revolution than the advancement of technology? The revolutionary charge from libertarians and anti-war liberals has already started to make members of the establishment a bit nervous. Radicals want change and there will be no compromise on one key idea: Defending liberty at home is essential to fighting the “war on terror” ™ and necessary to restore our Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
David hunting down Goliath
Can the principle, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” apply to this kind of war?
Can Democrats, Independents, and Libertarians band together to bring about this change? Will the change sought shake up Washington and restore American faith in Democracy? Americans sense the the threat to freedom that has come from within. If you haven’t noticed, Libertarians have come out of the woodworks and have amassed a viable force to counter the threat of “super patriotism”.
The force is especially noticeable with the rise of Ron Paul, a Texas libertarian that will no doubt impact the outcome of the Republican primary. His band of revolutionaries will likely help decide the 2008 election no matter how Ron Paul fares in the primary.
Defending the Constitution vs. “Securing” our Nation
Were the founding fathers revolutionaries or “terrorists?”
The founders of the U.S. Constitution were most definitely terrorists as per today’s definition of the word. When we recall their patriotic actions, we remember them as revolutionaries, visionaries, and widely regard them as American heroes. Our founder had dreams of an America free of tyranny and corruption. They desired a limited government that would keep order, promote freedom and stay out of people’s affairs. Without the aid of civil libertarians that kept our nation honest and true to our founding principles over the years, the dream our founders had may soon end if Americans aren’t careful.
Home-grown Terrorism Legislation is now in sharp focus
As I mentioned above, the founders were a special breed of “terrorist”. They stood bravely against a State ready to hang them for not bowing before an unjust king. His majesty, King George III of England, was in for a great surprise!
Over two hundred years later, our nation remains strong but liberty is no longer the hallmark of American Democracy. In fact, the issue of protecting Liberty has become a controversial topic now. Our Senators in Congress should be quick to stand up for the cause of Liberty. Instead, the foundation of our nation is cracking and Senators are sitting down when they should be fighting for our rights.
If there were ever a litmus test for serving as a public official, protecting essential liberty and defending the Constitution should be it.
Senator Ted Kennedy and Chris Dodd joined forces this week against immunity for telecommunication companies that allegedly violated outdated FISA laws
video update:
Why is this such a big deal, weren’t these companies just doing their patriotic duty? For starters, you might want to take a look at Senator Sessions who currently serves to champion the neo-conservative agenda in Washington.
Senator Jeff Sessions said
“The civil libertarians among us would rather defend the constitution than protect our nation’s security.”
If that’s what passes for “patriotic duty” around here, then I want no part of it. Whether it was a gaffe, a Freudian slip, or him speaking his mind and sharing what he really feels is of no consequence. Most of the buzz has and will be focused on Senator Dodd’s protection of Civil Liberties and derailment of the corrupted FISA legislation. Nevertheless, Senator Sessions statement should not be dismissed or ignored.
America is in danger.
There are a number of politicians in Washington that have engaged in the very terrorism that they claim they are against. They use fear tactics, NO, they use terrorism to get their point across. By encouraging Americans to fear death, the traitors effectively deny citizens the right to dissent and challenge authority.
“Essential Liberty” and Defending our Constitution vs. Fascism
Our Politicians have been quick to forsake liberty in the name of “defending the nation.” They claim that they are “spreading Democracy overseas” and acting in “America’s best interest.” If our Senators cannot defend the Constitution and act as model citizens, how could they hope to spread Democracy abroad?
How could men who cater to tyranny, promote Fascism, and dismiss Constitutional rights, have the nerve to say they represent American Freedom? These men do not represent America, they certainly do not represent you or me. Our “leaders” represent something awful that if not kept in check, may threaten our understanding of what it means to be American. We live in a a failed Democratic Republic and the illusion of freedom is fading away.
Let’s stop pretending we live in a truly free democratic society. Let’s aim to learn about American history and understand our place in the world. We are dangerously close to being governed by a fascist State and there is an argument to be made that we already live under fascist rule. Americans like myself are desperately seeking to break free from the shackles. If we don’t dismantle the threat to the Republic, how could we continue to claim we’re leaders of the “free world?”
Will there be an American Revolution in 2008?
Don’t stand on the sidelines. A plague is eating away at Washington and it must be cured. Remember, the revolution starts with YOU, your mind can never be enslaved and your vote is your weapon. For those Americans that have lost all hope, hang in there and have faith in America. A Revolution is on the horizon and you will have the pleasure of being a part of something wonderful. Even those people who lost themselves along the way can redeem themselves. Every neo-conservative stuck on the Bush bandwagon is welcome to join the movement.
Since you’re reading this piece, I expect that you’ll err on the side of liberty. Whatever happens, do your part to ensure the enemy falls short in its attempt to support the rise of tyranny and corruption in America.
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Here’s a follow-up article for you to read: “Planting the seeds of liberty.“
tags:constitution, freedom, government, Law, liberty, Policy, Politics, revolution, surveillance
Fred Soto is an Attorney and Entrepreneur from the Silicon Valley.
Email this author | All posts by Fred Soto
i understand the sentiments, but have no clue about what actions to take to bring about change… communicating with the party and its flunkies is pointless (and it is “the party” now, singular, the two party thing is just a con)…. changing consumer values seems impossible, america will spend until death…. contacting the media wont work, unless it is about brittney or lindsay…. traditional, violence was the only thing that changed social structures, but we are a long way from the critical mass necessary to pull this off in modern times, and there is no modern equivalent….
i have decided to stop giving government credit for having the power to control my life, along the lines of “refuse to be terrorized”…. the government is dumb, any media about them is dumb, why pay any attention, use my time to build something new in my mind and life…
and for god’s sake don’t vote, it only perpetuates the ignorance
Don’t vote? Ugh.. you’re a lost cause, my friend. I’ll have to get around to this comment at a later time, I want to enjoy what remains of Christmas Eve.
I just watched 8 hours of Kay Griggs. Nowhere else will you hear the full truth about the evil, sick killers who control the world. Kay is not smart. She is a Christian soccer mom with an incredible memory and a death wish. Kay explains why/how the elite become psychopathic killers. You must know your enemy.
Terrorists in the houses of power should be investigated, indicted, tried, convicted … and then lined up in front of officially-chartered firing squads.
There should be a PRICE on doing what they’ve done, and it should be a large one. No way should they be allowed to retire rich and safe, writing lying books and traveling around getting paid to deliver anti-American snake-oil lectures.
They’ve done everything they can to gut American ideals, to frighten and rob the rest of us, to reward cronies and line their own pockets.
If we let them get away with it, we’ll be sending this message to our descendants: “We were the generation that delivered you to fear. We had something special, a nation of values and courage and hope for a brilliant future, but we gave it all away. Because we didn’t care enough. Because we were OBEDIENT. Because we were afraid to fight for the good things.”
If we arrest and punish them sternly enough, future such men — who are cowards, after all — will be less willing to risk their own precious skins on ransacking the civilization and values so many good people have paid with their lives and sweat to build.
“If we arrest and punish them sternly enough, future such men — who are cowards, after all — will be less willing to risk their own precious skins on ransacking the civilization and values so many good people have paid with their lives and sweat to build.”
I cannot say it any better, so I thought I’d just post that again for everyone to read a second time.
Brilliant Hank!
[...] What happens when the threat to American government comes from within? There is the subtle and invisible war that is taking place at home. This War is between Americans with different understandings of what it means to be “American” and what it means to be “Free”. This war will NOT take place in the trenches and won’t be won with guns or knives. (Full story) [...]
bump…
“We were the generation that delivered you to fear. We had something special, a nation of values and courage and hope for a brilliant future, but we gave it all away. Because we didn’t care enough. Because we were OBEDIENT. Because we were afraid to fight for the good things.”
it needs to be recognized… we truly have lost our way.
I’ve been thinking of the writings of the Founding Fathers a lot lately, and we are allowing our liberties to be taken in ways far worse than what they considered cause for revolution. But where you are mistaken is including the Democrats. The Democrat party is just as much the problem as the Republicans. The two-party system is a sham that gives us the illusion of choice.
[...] Article Link [...]
The question I have right now is how should we go about starting this change?
Voting is out; as it’s been shown in the last presidential election, the popular vote did fail. Granted it was close and there were a lot of other factors in there, but it failed to put it simply.
In addition, we have a president with an approval rating of what exactly? I believe it was under 30%. That kind of percentage for any job outside of baseball is unacceptable. What it looks like to me is 70% of the country wants our administration out, yet they remain.
On a different but somewhat related note, it seems the police are going off the deep end with the slew of taser stories hitting the web. How many are true and how many are blown out of proportion, no idea. However, there have been a lot of new stories of cops going out of control. Plus the CIA’s torture tactics (I do believe that waterboarding is torture), so whether or not you believe torture for a greater good is beneficial, they are still doing it. A ‘revolution’ such as our forefathers took part in would be dealt with swiftly. And as my father, a diehard Army man said, a lot of soldiers don’t think, they just do.
So then are there any ideas on what to do? Blogging is good for getting ideas, but what ideas will actually bring about much faster change? How do we implement them? How do we get people interested?
Solution: check out http://www.ronpaul2008.com
Senator Sessions should be horsewhipped for his comment. Incidentally, he followed this up by stating, “We should all send President Bush a letter thanking him for protecting us.”
If you feel as I do, you should let him know what you think. Send your comments to:
http://sessions.senate.gov/email/contact.cfm
Mr. Shaw, I believe that any kind of revolutionary movement with staying power requires Americans at large. That includes Republicans and Democrats, and Libertarians can lead the charge. You can’t allow ideology to get in the way of the message, if you can recruit people of like mind — no matter what they want to call themselves — then the movement will be strong and have staying power. It is when you start excluding people that may or may not be informed, that you start going in the wrong direction with your movement. Bring -everyone- into the fold and destroy those habits of Liberals and Conservatives that are bringing our country down. Revolution is nothing without the people that can help make it happen!
Respectfully,
– just some guy like you that wants to change the world and believes it can happen –
Joe: I’ll give a a more detailed response to your question tomorrow. 1) You need to gather people of like mind in one place 2) You need to band together for a cause, (e.g. liberty) and not deny anyone who is interested in being a part of this movement 3) you mobilize and insist upon change.
There are a number of bills that are coming up in January that require this kind of mobilization, a movement takes time, but it happens if we can hang on to the vision and recruit people for the cause. One last thing, voting requires very little effort, don’t ever give up on that no matter how bad the system is. This movement requires -everyone- to go that extra mile and being informed and informing others is a good start.
Finally, whatever happens in 2008 — it’s important that the message not die, or else all of the work of people who support Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, and Chris Dodd’s efforts against the establishment will be wasted. It starts now and we can’t allow anything to discourage or derail this movement for liberty at home. If you’re a Ron Paul supporter, I guarantee you that he wouldn’t want it any other way.
on the physical plane, in “meatspace” as it is called, there are some things that can be done, as fred soto lists above…. gathering in groups of like-mind has some value, some of which is emotional catharsis for the participants, the remainder depends on the ability of the gathering to change perceptions, and perceptions are not in meat space, they are in the mind….
national perceptions are changed by media coverage only, that is the only way information flows beyond the amorphous thing of word of mouth in meat space….
the only anti-establishment demonstration covered in any depth in recent times was the seattle wto demonstration, mostly, in my opinion, because some windows got broken…. the media is institutionalized gossip, and only talks about the interesting or the vicariously intense….
but the lesson seems to be that for gathered groupd to be effective, something intense has to happen, or it will be ignored…
there is another avenue, that doesn’t involve meat space, and this is in the area of perception, one’s internal orientation towards reality, circumstance, event…. changing one’s mind to change one’s reality….
there is no “we” who has the power to physically overcome the terrorists within, and anyway, that “we” would immediately be labeled “homegrown terrorist” and dealt with summarily…
we all need to think differently…. nature is doing its part by showing us the effect of living in non-sustainabliity with the planet’s resources… and we who want change must change our own minds and our own perceptions to see in a different way…
the first thing, don’t, in your minds, give power to idiots, by this i mean don’t credit the politicians with having any power, they are clearly children…
don’t give the media any power, they are clearly just gossips and shills…
don’t vote, it is only an act that legitimizes a fake system, a theater of illusion perpetuated upon an audience… if you don’t go to the play, the play closes…
citizens have value primarily as consumers and as sources of power (cash, comparison, servanthood) to the “elite”…. consume less, think more about yourself and what you want to do…
increase your creativity, make new things, or new systems, work in a different way, relate to others in a more loving way, change your vibration, in short…
embrace change, for two reasons… one, because it is obviously needed, and two, it makes us grow…
understand that hierarchies are to a large degree maintained by agreement, and it is time to stop agreeing with where we perceive ourselves to be in the hierarchy we imagine that exists….
we actually have nature on our side in this battle, and the world system as well…, america, by its own actions, is on a collision course with an uncomfortable future, in terms of other countries perceptions of us, and in terms of decisions made about using scarce resources in wasteful ways… this is a reason for hope, we have a great ally in realigning ourselves with a better way of living…
we never learn from the past, we only learn from the direct experience of our own lives….. approach this current situation as an opportunity to learn something about yourself, about what is a society, about how to live as a group on this planet, and that introspection alone is the greatest gift and the greatest tool to use to bring about the world we want to have…
the rest is up to god, fate, destiny, the forces of the universe
enjoy
In the final analysis will history decide that GWB was good for America?
No, really, read on!
For the better part of a century, probably since around WW I, the US has been sliding toward a dark abyss. Many warnings have been given, all have been suppressed or ignored. Attempts to force the slide have been narrowly avoided or reversed but the it has steadily continued to accelerate.
The excesses of the Bush regime seem to have finally awakened a significant number of Americans. Only time will tell if this will be sufficient. If it is and Americans manage to take back their freedoms, their government, and their country then GWB may well go down in history as the president that pushed too far finally awakening the citizens of the US allowing them to usher in a new golden age.
If not …….
hans, this is why i think hilary could get elected, or one of the other “business as usual” types… we need more shit before the change will come
Writing a blog wont change anything. The guys who wrote pamphlets in the 1760s and 1770s didn’t just stop at writing about their frustrations. They through “tea parties” as a peaceful revolt. When the establishment didn’t respond the way they needed, they got out their guns.
You guys fuss a lot about all the problems with this country, but offer no real solutions. We can’t go killing our leaders or starting a civil war to get this problem solved and bitching about it on the ‘net won’t help either. If corporations are the villain, then we need to boycott, sue and use every resource at our disposal to stop them. If you work for one of those companies, stage a revolt at work. If you have to purchase thing from one of those companies, constantly complain about their lack of social responsibility.
The “bad guys” are taking action, not writing political blogs and making money from the ads. The good guys need to take action as well.
I came to this country 20 years ago from a truly fascist state/communist state/dictatorship state. And to believe that America 2007 is anything near that is just incomprehensible. You simply have it too good. I understand ideals and that I, coming from a hell hole, will not recognize ideal America or Constitutional America as the Founders foresaw but at the same token I could argue that you having it so good you can’t tell a fascist state from a gentle superpower state.
“Securing our nation” is defending our Constitution. What good is a constitution if it is not worth fighting for? By the way, word by word, Russian’s Constitution is a much better reading and more eloquent than America’s Constitution and yet Russia, for most of its history, never know freedom or can never tell anyone that they are a democracy. It would be a sad day if the Republican loss in 2008. The dark corners of the world will continue their darkness.
It is not about fear that we are fighting or that I am with Bush. It is about standing up to an element that see no qualm in flying airplanes into buildings. “When one is cruel toward the compassionates, one tends to compassionate toward the cruels.”
Gregory,
You have witnessed the unteachable and have an interesting Awareness of the situation at hand. I agree with your sentiments and there are those at work who are doing the exact thing you speak of. Things are shifting, and the slope is getting steeper. ‘Business as usual’ characters seem to be the most effective realignment tools available. I backed Bush part 2 for this reason. Didn’t vote but Said ‘Bush will win b/c its the only way people will pay attention’. Now I Say the same of Hillary. Best of luck to you.
To the Anonymous Russian above: I agree that we have it fairly easy compared to Russia. No one is arguing that America is a great place. This is what we want to maintain. We want to prevent it from turning into another Russia. The people opposed to the Bush administration do not take their freedom for granted. It is possible to secure our nation without invading other countries on intelligence known to be false, without torture, without domestic spying and surveillance, etc. This isn’t a case of spoiled, dumb, lazy Americans complaining because they pay too much for oil - these are people concerned about the future of our country and the people in it, including you.
Correction: No one is arguing that America isn’t a great place.
Oh, and go Ron Paul!
As a Canadian living within walking distance of the American border, I have noticed great changes since 9/11. You have gone from one of the most respected nations to the most hated, vilified and targeted nations. Your great society has been hijacked and is becoming more fascist every day.
You will not win your so-called “War on Terrorism” because it is unwinnable. It was manufactured by your Republicans and their younger sister, the Democrats (nearly as fascist anyway) to solidify their own power and to line the pockets of their corporate overlords as your common citizens either die in foreign wars, die at home without medical care or are made to constantly live in fear of the next terrorist attack or rogue nation.
Your religious zealots have filled your heads with hatred for anyone who worships some other God (or none at all) and have made you suspicious of your neighbours. You argue constantly about inane topics such as taking “under God” out of your pledge of allegiance, as though without these two words your citizens will become somehow disloyal to God or Country. Why do you need a pledge in the first place?
Until your common man decides to revolt against its own leadership structure, your issues will worsen until such time as your society collapses under the weight of its growing fascism and tyranny. But you will need to get much worse than you are now before that occurs. This will be easily accomplished once you are attacked again and have your next round of liberty reduction.
If you are truly the leaders of the free world, start showing it by proving that your own citizens are truly free. You are now the leader in only one thing, and that is the incarceration of your own people for breaking laws that are designed to punish those among you who have the least. Those who have the most are the ones writing and enforcing legislation and leading your great nation down a path that will end in ruin.
Perhaps all great nations are destined to crumble, but yours is crumbling before the whole world’s eyes and more and more nations are deserting you and starting to cheer on your coming demise.
So smarten up already.
“The excesses of the Bush regime seem to have finally awakened a significant number of Americans.” — Hans
Hans: That’s a theory that I’ve written about, in my view, this is the only ‘real’ positive spin you can put on President Bush’s presidency. The 9/11 leader thing is bullshit and I must admit that even I fell for it until I saw him for what he is, a true American villain.
Steve: Thank you very much for that thoughtful comment, there is a lot there that I’d like to write about on this blog.
“As a Canadian living within walking distance of the American border, I have noticed great changes since 9/11. You have gone from one of the most respected nations to the most hated, vilified and targeted nations.” — Steve
This is true, I hear so much about how President Bush has done much to thwart terrorism and he should be applauded, not shamed for taking the lead on the “global war on terror”. Terrorism has increased since he took the “lead”. I believe the terrorist networks throughout the world have even increased in numbers since he took center stage and now they all have reasons to drive their hatred for the United States. Before, their hatred was probably more territorial and religious than anything. A lot of middle eastern extremists demanded we leave their neck of the woods because we were desecrating their holy lands. Our desire to invest in penetrating the politics of the mid-east (including installing Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden into positions of prominence) backfired. The idea of “blow-back” has been largely ignored by the powers that be, but think about how dangerous it is to engage in such rigid thinking.
The fact of the matter is, our nation has operated largely unchecked and to take a position that our foreign policy plays no role in the evil that happens throughout over the world, is naive. I’m not saying we’re to blame for everything, we didn’t necessarily start the fire.. but every time we act for our “national interest” or to “protect the greater good”, we run the risk of fueling the fire that is already there.
You might want to take a look at this incredible eye opening video on YouTube. It is about how the elites controll the American masses. Just search on YouTube for “The Century Of The Self”
The Tree of Liberty Must Be Refreshed
Great Article my sentiments exactly…. lets start a group and get organized before it is too late….
It’s going to take and informed and educated public to stop these guys in their tracks… I believe we can do it…. My deepest fear is that they are over there poisoning our soldiers and bringing them home to start and an epidemic of some kind…. or they will start marshal law and we will all be hustled into those 800 emptied FEMA camps…. We are on the edge of a paradigm shift in democracy … staring straight in the eyes of fascism… we all better wake up or at least stock up on food and water because this next year is going to be a doozy….. hold on for dear life…
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