Political Activism

I haven't seen much about Brannon Howse on the atheosphere, and I'm starting to feel like he's my own pet whackjob. I don't mind sharing, however, and there's plenty of nuttiness to go around. Which is why you guys get a twofer tonight. I'll try to keep this one brief.

Last week he complained that judges were rewriting the constitution to suit their godlees commie liberal ways. Today, it's the actual elected officials.

Is there a branch of US government that is not out to destroy government? I don't know. I'm pretty sure the executive branch is having a go at it, and the congress seems to be constantly distracted by bright shiny things. He may have something here.

And so I bring you: How Politicians Pervert the Law and Liberty is The Causality.

There are tens of thousands of federal and state laws. Many of these laws are leading us down the path of socialism or the redistribution of wealth...

Howse gets off a good one right off the hop. I can't think of a less socialist country than the US. Any suggestions?

Hearing none, let's move on.

...Fredrick Bastiat wrote his book, The Law in 1850 when France was going through one of its many transitions in government. Bastiat so accurately proclaims that the purpose of the law is to make justice reign or more precisely to eliminate injustice. The law is simply the organization of justice, it is a collection of people coming together to do as a group what we can do as individuals which is protect our life, liberty and property...

But apparently only rich people's property. Poor people can kiss the richest part of Howse's ass. It's also Frédéric. Dude was French.

...The law nor government give us our liberties for if they do then what the government gives the government can take away. The law exists to protect our God
given liberties or as the Scriptures say, “every good and perfect gift comes down from above from the Father who made the heavenly lights”.

Before we can see justice reign we must first stop the politicians from making an unjust living through the work of the taxpayers while also gathering power unto themselves through plunder...

Two things here. First, nobody cares what the scripture says about the law (at least they shouldn't). It's irrelevant. The law came from man. You could read the constitution if you don't believe me. Doesn't say too much about god's laws. Second, politicians aren't lining their pockets (not really, anyway). Guys like Cheney, Rove and Rice took a pay cut to work for the feds. The problem is not the politicians, it's the folks who control the politicians. Okay, three things. The government gives and takes liberties all the time. Giving these people the right to marry, taking away those people's rights to own other people, giving these people the right to vote, and giving these people the right to control their reproductive lives. See?

It really is a twofer tonight: god and politics, all at once.

...When the law is used to take from one and give to another, this can be called nothing less than socialism, the re-distribution of wealth. As Bastiat explains, those that desire to be involved in plunder will change the laws so that their actions, while unjust and immoral, will be legal:

Socialists desire to practice legal plunder, not illegal plunder. Socialists like all other monopolists, desire to make the law their own weapon. And when once the law is on the side of socialism, how can it be used against socialism?

So, these “do gooders” use the law, and the force that makes it the law, to steal from one citizen the fruit of his labor in order to give to another. The bottom line is we have too many politicians, too many bureaucrats, too much government, and not enough freedom and liberty. Bastiat put it this way:

This must be said: There are too many…legislators, organizers, do-gooders, leaders of the people, fathers of nations, and so on, and so on. Too many persons place themselves above mankind; they make a career of organizing it, patronizing it, and ruling it...

There's the glaring omission of corporate socialism, here, and unequal tax burdens. What's really troubling is that most of the people who read Howse's nonsense are getting the shaft, and it's not for the benefit of other citizens. And further, how is it that a lot of politicians means a socialist government? Howse is up to his sneaky rhetorical tricks again, possums.

...Some may have accused Bastiat of seeking to become part of the leaders and thus claimed he was being hypocritical in his criticism of the government. Bastiat’s response should be the mission statement of every conservative seeking public
office. Bastiat wrote:

Now someone will say: ‘You yourself are doing this very thing’ True. But it must be admitted that I act in an entirely different sense; if I have joined the ranks of the
reformers, it is solely for the purpose of persuading them to leave people alone...

(Sorry about the lack of blockquote. It's just not working for me here.) I like this one. "Sure I want to be part of the government. But I'm different."

Aren't we all, Bastiat. Aren't we all. Although I actually am.

..Some may argue that if we leave the people unto themselves then some will starve, some will not have clothes, some will not have healthcare, and medical treatment. However, the reality is if the government would get out of the way and fulfill its limited purpose, prosperity would be distributed to far more people because the choice would be to either work and eat or not to work and not to eat. Today, our government rewards laziness and irresponsibility through our growing welfare state...

I'm just gonna call bullshit and be done with it. Actually, I'm gonna point to examples: Canada, France, Sweden, Netherlands, UK and Denmark. That's hardly a comprehensive list, but it gets the ball rolling.

...The Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, says that the purpose of the law and civil government is to reward those involved in right living and to punish the wicked. In America the purpose of the law has been turned on its head as those who are involved in right living are punished through a punitive tax system that rewards with a monthly welfare check those involved in all sorts of irresponsible, destructive and often illegal and immoral behavior...

That just don't make any damn sense at all. It has no relationship to reality. But clearly, reality's not Howse's strong suit.

There's more, but it's just nonsense. Apparently liberty includes the right to starve or to have your house taken because the corporations need welfare. I think that's what he's getting at. Or he wants anarchy (but not really, because most anarchists tend to lean left).

He also doesn't say anything to support his purported thesis. Did you get that?