❝❝Ever notice when someone picks a scapegoat, it's because they think the scapegoat can't fight back?

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I agree with you that politics is a source of great evil in the World.

I disagree that the Trump and the Republicans are the cause. Or even most of the cause.

One annoying thing about politics is that people are willing to overlook the misconduct of "their" side even while slinging wild accusations against the Enemy. The accusations may or may not be accurate. But you can count on the Enemy not being quite the Ultimate Horror Unleashed on Mankind. And you can count that your side is not quite the paragon of virtue and self-sacrifice that they claim.

Politics is about controlling the other. Never you, always the other. When government is involved politics is about control backed by force.

Politicians are never on your side. Even as they stand wrapped in the flag clutching holy writ promising that they will be your bestest friend ever no matter what.

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I'm sorry, but I can't agree. Obama used the IRS and Justice Department against his enemies, among other things. And the Democrats looked the other way.

Rather than get into a long and pointless discussion of who did what worse, I want to point out something that most people overlook.

The politicos NEED you to blame the other party and never question the wisdom of your party's decisions. It's always the other party that is doing things Too Terrible and always your own party that promises to Save The Day. When you buy into that, you perpetuate the system. You're always going to be victimized and you're never ever going to be saved. If you were saved, you'd have no reason to vote the party line.

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I know I have my political critics on this site, but believe me when I tell you that there are conservatives who are just as threatened by the Democrat leadership as you are by Trump.

Too often today, people make excuses for what their side does by trotting out the disasters from the other side.

I want less government. I think government is a terrible danger to liberty. I think politicos and technocrats complicate things because they don't want you asking questions and they don't want you changing the status quo. They don't want you understanding what they do.

So when I see someone insisting that this flavor of politico is slightly less objectionable, I tell them they are wrong.

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Accurate, as far as it goes.

*sighs* Look, I know that other pagans think I am simplistic and partisan when it comes to politics. And believe me, I realize how ironic it is for me to denounce mixing paganism with politics while having a political blog called Pagan Vigil.

Politics is one of my darker passions. I'm better at it than any amateur has any right to be. I understand the temptations and lusts because those are my temptations, my lusts, but for a bit of discipline and some promises I made. There's a line from Doctor Who, “Good men don’t need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.” These days I try to use my abilities and urges in a good cause. Mostly I succeed.

I've said that politics is about controlling the other. It's literally "power over." All the processes, all the carefully defined rules to protect democracy, all the blame exists SOLEY to keep people from looking too carefully at "the sausage being made." To keep people from asking how much freedom they are "supposed" to sacrifice for "the Greater Good." To keep them from asking themselves why expecting the other guy to sacrifice and compromise is GOOD but they themselves aren't supposed to sacrifice and compromise. To keep them from accepting that POWER OVER for their principles just might not be as as effective as power with based on things we all share.

Smashing the opposition just makes more pieces that can regrow.❞❞

Tags: scapegoating ∙ World ∙ Donald Trump ∙ Republicans ∙ control ∙ politicos ∙ Barack Obama ∙ IRS ∙ Justice Department ∙ party politics ∙ Democrats ∙ government ∙ technocrats ∙ political flavor ∙ pagans ∙ simplistic ∙ partisan ∙ blog ∙ darker passions ∙ temptation ∙ lust ∙ amateur ∙ discipline ∙ promises ∙ Doctor Who ∙ power with vs power over

““Hello, everyone. Guess who. Please, point a gun at me if it helps you relax.””
     — The Doctor, A Good Man Goes to War

Tags: Doctor Who ∙ gun

““Good men don’t need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.””
     — The Doctor, A Good Man Goes to War

Tags: Doctor Who ∙ good man ∙ rules

Our heroes are defined by what they have done and how they inspire us.

Tags: Doctor Who ∙ Firefly ∙ Alexander Hamilton ∙ Clinton campaign ∙ Hillary Clinton ∙ short ∙ science fiction ∙ hero ∙ BBC

““Winning? Is that what you think this is about? I’m not trying to win. I’m not doing this because I want to beat someone, because I hate someone, or because, because I want to blame someone. It’s not because it’s fun. God knows it’s not because it’s easy. It’s not even because it works because it hardly ever does. I do what I do because it’s right! Because it’s decent! And above all, it’s kind! It’s just that… Just kind.

If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there’s no point in any of this at all. But it’s the best I can do. So I’m going to do it. And I’m going to stand here doing it until it kills me. You’re going to die too! Some day… How will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for?

Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand is where I fall.””
     — the Doctor, The Doctor Falls

Tags: Doctor Who ∙ 12th Doctor ∙ winning ∙ kind ∙ beat someone ∙ hate someone ∙ blame someone ∙ fun ∙ easy ∙ right ∙ decent ∙ kind ∙ run away ∙ good people ∙ stand and fight ∙ where I stand

❝❝Does that person threaten you or yours?

Does that person take or damage your property?

Then why are you trying to control them?❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: liberty ∙ generalized argument ∙ liberty argument ∙ statist ∙ Doctor Who ∙ secret weapon ∙ quickest way ∙ maxims