Martial law – The Burning Platform

Totalitarian Paranoia Run Amok: Pandemics, Lockdowns & Martial Law

“Totalitarian paranoia runs deep in American society, and it now inhabits the highest levels of government.”—Professor Henry Giroux

Once upon a time, there was a government so paranoid about its hold on power that it treated everyone and everything as a threat and a reason to expand its powers. Unfortunately, the citizens of this nation believed everything they were told by their government, and they suffered for it.

When terrorists attacked the country, and the government passed massive laws aimed at paving the way for a surveillance state, the people believed it was done merely to keep them safe. The few who disagreed were labeled traitors.

When the government waged costly preemptive wars on foreign countries, insisting it was necessary to protect the nation, the citizens believed it. And when the government brought the weapons and tactics of war home to use against the populace, claiming it was just a way to recycle old equipment, the people believed that too. The few who disagreed were labeled unpatriotic.

When the government spied on its own citizens, claiming they were looking for terrorists hiding among them, the people believed it. And when the government began tracking the citizenry’s movements, monitoring their spending, snooping on their social media, and surveying them about their habits—supposedly in an effort to make their lives more efficient—the people believed that, too. The few who disagreed were labeled paranoid.

When the government allowed private companies to take over the prison industry and agreed to keep the jails full, justifying it as a cost-saving measure, the people believed them. And when the government started arresting and jailing people for minor infractions, claiming the only way to keep communities safe was to be tough on crime, the people believed that too. The few who disagreed were labeled soft on crime.

When the government hired crisis actors to take part in disaster drills, never alerting the public to which “disasters” were staged, the people genuinely believed they were under attack. And when the government insisted it needed greater powers to prevent such attacks from happening again, the people believed that too. The few who disagreed were told to shut up or leave the country.

Continue reading “Totalitarian Paranoia Run Amok: Pandemics, Lockdowns & Martial Law”

On Used Cars, Haircuts, and Buyers Beware

By Doug “Uncola” Lynn via TheBurningPlatform.com

In the mid-nineteen-eighties, while contemplating two post-graduate opportunities, I needed to earn some fast cash so I thought I’d give selling cars a try. Why not? From a young age I had a love of cars, motorcycles, and airplanes. And camping. In fact, I’ve traveled through 41 of 50 states, camped in a fair percentage of them, and once even worked at a motor-home dealer in the Pacific Northwest detailing rigs. After a few months, I worked my way up to sales and sold my first motorhome to some Seventh Day Adventists on my eighteenth birthday.

Oh man. I have so many stories. My coworkers were mechanics who were Hells Angels. I stopped two of them one day from abusing a stray cat that I later adopted, even though I hated cats at the time. Although I earned the respect of those bikers, I’m sure things would have escalated if they didn’t have more respect for my older brother, an ex-jungle fighter who’s crazy like a fox and quicker than a Puff Adder.

But, I digress.

Continue reading “On Used Cars, Haircuts, and Buyers Beware”

WEEKS WHERE DECADES HAPPEN

“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” ― Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

“A Crisis mood does not guarantee that the new governing policies will be well designed or will work as intended.

To the contrary: Crisis eras are studded with faulty leadership and inept management—from President Lincoln’s poor record of choosing generals to President Roosevelt’s colossal blunders with such alphabet soup agencies as the AAA, NRA, and WPA.

What makes a Crisis special is the public’s willingness to let leaders lead even when they falter and to let authorities be authoritative even when they make mistakes.

Wars become more likely and are fought with efficacy and finality. The risk of revolution is high—as is the risk of civil war, since the community that commands the greatest loyalty does not necessarily coincide with political (or geographic) boundaries. Leaders become more inclined to define enemies in moral terms, to enforce virtue militarily, to refuse all compromise, to commit large forces in that effort, to impose heavy sacrifices on the battlefield and home front, to build the most destructive weapons contemporary minds can imagine, and to deploy those weapons if needed to obtain an enduring victory.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning

The quote by Lenin has been reverberating in my conscience for the last few weeks. I believe the quote from Strauss & Howe provides context to what has happened and will happen as this Fourth Turning advances towards its climax. I began a new role in my organization two weeks ago, after only seven months in my previous role. I’ve been in non-stop crisis meetings, as this coronavirus pandemic has flipped everyone’s world upside down. As of Thursday, we were ordered to work from home.

Continue reading “WEEKS WHERE DECADES HAPPEN”