"We will either draw the new boundaries ourselves, or we will hand power back to them.
That's a choice. That's the only choice."
Maybe my favorite piece of yours not just because it's no math. This goes to the heart of individual sovereignty and liberty possible in a digital age waiting to be fulfilled.
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
<3 ~ John Perry Barlow ~ <3
Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather.
We have no elected government, nor are we likely to have one, so I address you with no greater authority than that with which liberty itself always speaks. I declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose on us. You have no moral right to rule us nor do you possess any methods of enforcement we have true reason to fear.
Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. You have neither solicited nor received ours. We did not invite you. You do not know us, nor do you know our world. Cyberspace does not lie within your borders.....
I was a straight A student. Climbed out a classroom window, in my cheerleading uniform, in winter, in Michigan. Got to Shelley’s car. Not one of the other escapees followed. In the freezing cold I listened to a replay of “War of The Worlds.”
This is a tangent from the geopolitics. A little internet research produces the epitaph on Claude Rains's headstone, written by Rains himself: "All Things Once Are Things Forever, Soul, Once Living, Lives Forever."
You've issued a warning. Most of us would agree with you, or rather, those of us who are skeptical and inquisitive. What is your solution?
Many years ago I read, "A Peace to End All Peace," by David Fromkin. It has a place of honor on my bookshelf. It explains the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the modern Middle East. Many of the ongoing problems in the Middle East are a direct result of Churchill's vision and plans, and T. E. Lawrence's execution of those plans.
Now I love and revere Churchill. He was farsighted in so many ways but his vision had to be carried out by mere mortals with likes and dislikes and prejudices and avarice.
I am not sure that "we" will win this battle, but this I do know: I love and serve a God who is truth. He loves the truth and he hates the lie. As his child, I love the truth and I hate the lie, and I cannot help but fight that battle. And even if this battle is lost, I know that He won the war about MM years ago. And there lies my hope in fighting and hopefully restraining evil.
I love your inspirational ending to this post. 🙏❤️🔥 I feel surprisingly strong and grounded in my principles. They are trying to institute systems for us to live by. None of our actions and choices individually will make a difference, but collectively they do, we just don't know what the outcome will be. We have to make the choices and take the actions while being somewhat helpless about the outcome. This is the nature of social action. This dichotomy of actions, and no control over the outcome of our actions, often does not rest in people with equanimity. People tend to get over controlling, and overestimate their power and influence. Or they feel helpless and don't engage at all. The gay rights movement is a great example of how decades of concerted action suddenly resulted in San Francisco self-determining that gay people have the right to marry, then a few years later the Supreme Court passed it. I certainly didn't anticipate such a quick resolution to the question of gay marriage (which I happen to agree with, legal adults should be able marry the people they want to, and it promotes stability). Today we have the possibility of Roe vs Wade being overturned soon. There's another outcome after decades of concerted action by pro-life people. I think this one was easier to anticipate though. (This is one I happen to disagree with. I think the belief that life starts at conception is a religious belief, and religious beliefs should be left up to individuals and not mandated. I do appreciate the state sovereignty involved if that ruling does come to pass).
Since we are not taught/reminded of history anymore it’s easy to forget the power of individuals and the battles we have won against tyrants. I look to the fall of Big Tobacco and Oxy as evidence that a small committed group of people can be a David to a modern day Goliath. I grew up on the tail end of MLK but I recall his dream pushing into my community through a small number of ordinary people (housewives, entrepreneurs) simply standing up and demanding that their neighbors accept their responsibility for righting the ship.
In my estimation, we are too focussed on DC. We have to stop looking for a perfect leader to coalesce around and start leading ourselves. We have to stop thinking that casting a vote in an election or sending a campaign donation is the means to right this ship.
Honestly, we’ve been selfish and self-involved for several decades. These corrupt entities didn’t sprout up yesterday. Embarrassingly classic liberals have been screaming about them for decades and we just turned them off (like their own party is doing now).
We need to reach out to our community and find our personal courage - one person at a time. I get it - it’s our nature not to stand out. But in so doing, we’ve left the community to the corrupt and crazy who know we’re not inclined to show up or take their incoming and have exploited this. Just like any failed relationship, we have to take responsibility for our part in this debacle and address our weakness as we move into battle.
Start reaching out to your community - the guy not wearing a mask is your friend. Show up at the next precinct meeting (it will scare the crap out of them), volunteer to watch the polls (and do it every year not just this one). Show up at a city council meeting and a school board meeting. You don’t have to say anything - you just have to be there to give your support to the mother/father/kid who is showing courage.
We need to work on building a team -think Bad News Bears not Brady franchise team.
>We will either draw the new boundaries ourselves, or we will hand power back to them.
Who are "us"? The only thing dissidents have in common is that they (we) challenge the existing systems. As soon as the old systems are gone, dissidents will fragment into innumerable factions each supporting a different thing. Each one trying to draw different "new boundaries".
Here is an example of those differences: in a comment below @PamelaDrew writes/quotes: "Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. You have neither solicited nor received ours. We did not invite you..." I think that while technically true, it is naive and misguided propaganda. Power does not give a shit about being "just". Thus it can illicit the consent of the governed by force or deceit. "We did not invite you" - see if Power cares.
Also, being a dissident is to a large extent a personality trait. I became a dissident at the age of 8 (I did not consciously know it then, of course, but I was one.) There were only a couple of relatively short periods in my life when I thought I got cured, after which a relapsed. And when I say "cured", I almost mean it - it is so much more pleasant and congenial to conform.
The Italian political realists (the main representatives: Machiavelli, Mosca, Michels, Pareto) argued that revolutionary change in political power occurs when surplus elites push out the established elites out of power. Often those surplus elites manipulate the populace into supporting them. Sometimes they are even honest about it. But the point stands: it is not us who is going to "draw the new boundaries". It is those new elites who come to power. The only thing we might be able to do is to choose to support those among the elites who are more likely not to oppress us too much.
Interesting to think about these things. If we win.... they have another plan. Well, they won't win completely that is already clear because in order to win they have to have absolute control and they don't. There are already splinters off financially, plenty of nations ready to abandon the petro dollar, plenty of people doubting the idiocy of the covid shots, etc. I guess for me it gets personal not from the wide angle lens--no they can't win, but we might not. And with an even closer magnification, we may partially win but personally lose. For me that is what is enticing about Lawrence of Arabia. He is in it for the adventure and losing can be philosophically rich territory.
"We will either draw the new boundaries ourselves, or we will hand power back to them.
That's a choice. That's the only choice."
Maybe my favorite piece of yours not just because it's no math. This goes to the heart of individual sovereignty and liberty possible in a digital age waiting to be fulfilled.
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
<3 ~ John Perry Barlow ~ <3
Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather.
We have no elected government, nor are we likely to have one, so I address you with no greater authority than that with which liberty itself always speaks. I declare the global social space we are building to be naturally independent of the tyrannies you seek to impose on us. You have no moral right to rule us nor do you possess any methods of enforcement we have true reason to fear.
Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. You have neither solicited nor received ours. We did not invite you. You do not know us, nor do you know our world. Cyberspace does not lie within your borders.....
https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence
Not trying to be pessimistic but without openly verifiable election results our choice feels hollow and manufactured.
I was a straight A student. Climbed out a classroom window, in my cheerleading uniform, in winter, in Michigan. Got to Shelley’s car. Not one of the other escapees followed. In the freezing cold I listened to a replay of “War of The Worlds.”
Changed my life!
"Strongly rivalrous factions."
Exactly.
And yes, there will be no final victory.
"Choose wisely."
This is a tangent from the geopolitics. A little internet research produces the epitaph on Claude Rains's headstone, written by Rains himself: "All Things Once Are Things Forever, Soul, Once Living, Lives Forever."
You've issued a warning. Most of us would agree with you, or rather, those of us who are skeptical and inquisitive. What is your solution?
Many years ago I read, "A Peace to End All Peace," by David Fromkin. It has a place of honor on my bookshelf. It explains the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the modern Middle East. Many of the ongoing problems in the Middle East are a direct result of Churchill's vision and plans, and T. E. Lawrence's execution of those plans.
Now I love and revere Churchill. He was farsighted in so many ways but his vision had to be carried out by mere mortals with likes and dislikes and prejudices and avarice.
So
What is your solution?
You made my day better.
I am not sure that "we" will win this battle, but this I do know: I love and serve a God who is truth. He loves the truth and he hates the lie. As his child, I love the truth and I hate the lie, and I cannot help but fight that battle. And even if this battle is lost, I know that He won the war about MM years ago. And there lies my hope in fighting and hopefully restraining evil.
So my son is celebrating his 14th birthday with five friends. Are you suggesting Lawrence of Arabia for entertainment at the party?
A Saudi friend introduced me to Sykes-Picot from their perspective, a lesson that most aren't taught. Time will tell who will be the victor
Very, very well presented...and said. Thank you!
I love your inspirational ending to this post. 🙏❤️🔥 I feel surprisingly strong and grounded in my principles. They are trying to institute systems for us to live by. None of our actions and choices individually will make a difference, but collectively they do, we just don't know what the outcome will be. We have to make the choices and take the actions while being somewhat helpless about the outcome. This is the nature of social action. This dichotomy of actions, and no control over the outcome of our actions, often does not rest in people with equanimity. People tend to get over controlling, and overestimate their power and influence. Or they feel helpless and don't engage at all. The gay rights movement is a great example of how decades of concerted action suddenly resulted in San Francisco self-determining that gay people have the right to marry, then a few years later the Supreme Court passed it. I certainly didn't anticipate such a quick resolution to the question of gay marriage (which I happen to agree with, legal adults should be able marry the people they want to, and it promotes stability). Today we have the possibility of Roe vs Wade being overturned soon. There's another outcome after decades of concerted action by pro-life people. I think this one was easier to anticipate though. (This is one I happen to disagree with. I think the belief that life starts at conception is a religious belief, and religious beliefs should be left up to individuals and not mandated. I do appreciate the state sovereignty involved if that ruling does come to pass).
Since we are not taught/reminded of history anymore it’s easy to forget the power of individuals and the battles we have won against tyrants. I look to the fall of Big Tobacco and Oxy as evidence that a small committed group of people can be a David to a modern day Goliath. I grew up on the tail end of MLK but I recall his dream pushing into my community through a small number of ordinary people (housewives, entrepreneurs) simply standing up and demanding that their neighbors accept their responsibility for righting the ship.
In my estimation, we are too focussed on DC. We have to stop looking for a perfect leader to coalesce around and start leading ourselves. We have to stop thinking that casting a vote in an election or sending a campaign donation is the means to right this ship.
Honestly, we’ve been selfish and self-involved for several decades. These corrupt entities didn’t sprout up yesterday. Embarrassingly classic liberals have been screaming about them for decades and we just turned them off (like their own party is doing now).
We need to reach out to our community and find our personal courage - one person at a time. I get it - it’s our nature not to stand out. But in so doing, we’ve left the community to the corrupt and crazy who know we’re not inclined to show up or take their incoming and have exploited this. Just like any failed relationship, we have to take responsibility for our part in this debacle and address our weakness as we move into battle.
Start reaching out to your community - the guy not wearing a mask is your friend. Show up at the next precinct meeting (it will scare the crap out of them), volunteer to watch the polls (and do it every year not just this one). Show up at a city council meeting and a school board meeting. You don’t have to say anything - you just have to be there to give your support to the mother/father/kid who is showing courage.
We need to work on building a team -think Bad News Bears not Brady franchise team.
>We will either draw the new boundaries ourselves, or we will hand power back to them.
Who are "us"? The only thing dissidents have in common is that they (we) challenge the existing systems. As soon as the old systems are gone, dissidents will fragment into innumerable factions each supporting a different thing. Each one trying to draw different "new boundaries".
Here is an example of those differences: in a comment below @PamelaDrew writes/quotes: "Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. You have neither solicited nor received ours. We did not invite you..." I think that while technically true, it is naive and misguided propaganda. Power does not give a shit about being "just". Thus it can illicit the consent of the governed by force or deceit. "We did not invite you" - see if Power cares.
Also, being a dissident is to a large extent a personality trait. I became a dissident at the age of 8 (I did not consciously know it then, of course, but I was one.) There were only a couple of relatively short periods in my life when I thought I got cured, after which a relapsed. And when I say "cured", I almost mean it - it is so much more pleasant and congenial to conform.
The Italian political realists (the main representatives: Machiavelli, Mosca, Michels, Pareto) argued that revolutionary change in political power occurs when surplus elites push out the established elites out of power. Often those surplus elites manipulate the populace into supporting them. Sometimes they are even honest about it. But the point stands: it is not us who is going to "draw the new boundaries". It is those new elites who come to power. The only thing we might be able to do is to choose to support those among the elites who are more likely not to oppress us too much.
Interesting to think about these things. If we win.... they have another plan. Well, they won't win completely that is already clear because in order to win they have to have absolute control and they don't. There are already splinters off financially, plenty of nations ready to abandon the petro dollar, plenty of people doubting the idiocy of the covid shots, etc. I guess for me it gets personal not from the wide angle lens--no they can't win, but we might not. And with an even closer magnification, we may partially win but personally lose. For me that is what is enticing about Lawrence of Arabia. He is in it for the adventure and losing can be philosophically rich territory.