This post deserves to be posted in a prominent sub-forum (osan)

[A Son of Liberty]

...where it can be properly discussed:

The answer here is that we have no idea what the future will hold in this regard. This is due in large part, it not entirely, on the wildcard that electronic currencies represent. With bits replacing bills, the money supply may be expanded and contracted at will and in matters of hours. This was never before possible because once releases, paper cannot be so easily recalled. But when you have the ability to magically increase or reduce the number of "dollars" (what a joke) freely resident in the world, all of a sudden the game is changed radically. This is a fundamental shift in the control paradigm of the monetary order.

In ages past, once the king released his mintage, he effectively lost most of his control of it. The coin of the realm could be hidden in any of a vast number of ways, or it could be spirited away or even changed form. There is nothing from stopping a man such as myself, a trained and experienced gold- and silver-smith from melting down the king's coin and rolling sheet from which I produce works of value. Such coins are lost to the king forever. The salient point is that of control, which was never before within the hands of the king with "real money" as it has become with the phony baloney representations of money stored in computers. Cyprus showed the world the possibilities when they unilaterally gave every account in their banks a 10% haircut. They simply closed the doors to all banks, froze all the accounts, then merrily clipped and snipped until everyone was shorter by ten percent. And the world got to see how easily it was accomplished. It got to see that the people whose accounts had been raided had absolutely no recourse to this act of brigandry.

That was a great lesson to we, the people who purport to represent the human drive for liberty. Yeah... right. People stood idly and watched Themme shank them for 10%. They did NOTHING. Barely a whimper, and Theye laughed their asses off over $5K bottles of fine single-barrel whiskies and $40 cigars.

The human race, on the whole, is a sad, sad joke. We talk our $#@! about freedom as we sit by waiting for someone else to make it real. I've even watched it here - every "project" to which I have put my eyes in the respective posts has gone nowhere, accomplishing nothing. What in hell is the point of all this? I am all for discussing political philosophies and analyzing activity such as case studies of police brutality - but I will not longer call myself and activist because it is a lie. Do as you please, but if all you are doing is getting Joe Schmoe elected, then I must insist that you are accomplishing nothing effective. A few thousands of "us" moved to NH and what have they accomplished? Damned nearly nothing. The $#@! cops still hassle open carriers and others who exercise their rights. There is still no "constitutional carry", and even so who gives a $#@! in the face of the endless litany of ways in which we have been reduced to slave status? How about property taxes? So long as they persist, not a one of you, nor myself, own the land on which we reside, and yet I hear no significant talk of end such nonsense.

How many more election cycles shall be needed before you realize you are wasting your time and that Theye are laughing at your pitiful self? Will it EVER be acceptable to acknowledge that 800# gorilla sitting next to you on the couch? Will it ever be acceptable to call a rose a rose? Will it ever be acceptable to say that standing tall and employing murderous force against Themme is the only likely avenue that holds even the least hope of yielding a good result? Seriously, why is it that people who claim to want liberty restored always decry those who say that it is time to take matters into our unequivocal hands and put those who trample us to their ends? Why is that always looked upon as a non-solution? Do you never wonder about that?

I can but wonder whether hordes of Theire lapdogs shooting us down in the streets would even prove sufficient to get the big talkers to get up and actually do something beside talk and attempt to appease. It has come to the point for me that I am so sick and tired of the "liberty movement" and mostly of myself that I hope to see the worst befall us. Let all those legalized Mexicans be drafted into the US armed forces, trained, armed, and ordered to subdue the gringo. If that doesn't wake the people of this land to the harsh reality that stares them in the face this very hour, then we deserve the damnation that completes itself upon us.

Theye keep pulling the same tricks on us over and over and we keep falling for it. I'm as full of $#@! as any of you and I am beginning to feel a certain burn on that account.

I suppose I must have gone bat$#@! somewhere over the past couple of decades because nothing I see makes rational sense. What in hell am I missing? I ask because I must be wrong. I cannot be the only one seeing what I see and still be right. $#@! a duck... maybe I just need to get old and die and be done with this lunatic race of which I am, now shamefully, a part.

What do you all think? Am I cracked? Need I be taken and put down? This $#@! has me tired and bored to the point of tears. My disappointment in myself and those around me (I mean the whole world here) is beyond containment. There is no vessel large enough to hold it all.

Part of me agrees with georgiaboy, who responded in that THREAD in the Austrian Economics/Economic Theory sub-forum, who cited Ron, his perseverance, and the real, tangible progress made on behalf of human freedom since his rise to prominence in '06-'07.

And part of me heartily agrees with you, sir. "Theye" (if I may borrow your term) have so thoroughly marginalized and besmirched the concept of righteous revolution that even a majority of libertarians (sic) shudder to think of it. Additionally, we are so settled in our modern lives that we are unwilling to jeopardize our comfort, and too certain that we are too few to make a meaningful difference and therefore unwilling to stand up. I guess we would indeed rather "live on our knees, than die on our feet", sadly. Yet we are indeed too few. Take a look around... as Gunny's quip accurately portrayed in another thread, our compatriots are largely unmoved by the tyranny under which we toil: "We have to hurt and humiliate you to keep you safe, and if you don't like it you are a commie."; a recognizable sentiment among the many sheep surrounding us. And, speaking personally, and given that "Theye" (if I may, again) are so indoctrinated in the paradigm of the state that their offenses are (in their mind) justified in that paradigm, as a Christian I struggle to "action"...

So there's the 'why' of it.

What to do, then? Well, that's the purpose of posting this in a prominent forum. Let's hear it, RPF.

[CaptUSA]

This is certainly a negative take on the future of technology, but let me paint a rosier picture, if I may. While osan's concerns are definitely valid, it doesn't necessarily have to be like that. If anything, I think technology is making things more decentralized than ever. Knowledge is becoming more and more ubiquitous. That gives them ability to know what we're doing, but also gives us the ability to know what they're doing and respond in real time. When currencies become decentralized, there will be an almost automatic readjustment following any attempts to "control" things. Their "magical abilities" will lose their luster once the market displays its magical abilities to undermine them.

This same thing holds true in many arenas. Abuses by the government are on display more than ever thanks to social media and the internet. It may seem as though the problem is getting worse, but that may be because we are finally starting to see it being shown to us. Police abuses have always happened - it's only now that they are becoming public. Judges and other administrators have to fear being exposed more than ever before.

I'd suggest that we don't need everyone to be able to see it. Call them "sheep", if you like. Their heads will always be buried. Instead of trying to get them to see the light, I take heart in that there are enough able to see the light to keep the market honest. The same free market principles that hold true in economics will also hold true in governance. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? The availability of information.

I expect government education to be the last domino to fall. And it is beginning to fall. The faults of government education is so glaring that before long, enough of the market will recognize that information has to be gained in other ways. Look at this new generation! They are growing up with access to information I would have dreamed about as a child! And those who choose to bathe themselves in this information are becoming more and more liberty-friendly.

There is hope, my friends. Do not despair.

[TheTexan]

They are growing up with access to information I would have dreamed about as a child! And those who choose to bathe themselves in this information

Vast majority choose not to, and prefer willful ignorance.

[tod evans]

This post deserves to be posted in a prominent sub-forum (osan)...where it can be properly discussed:
.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...ght=words+osan

[A Son of Liberty]

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...ght=words+osan

Perhaps I should have said it deserves it's own thread. This is a discussion worth having.

[TheTexan]

Just need to vote harder, or take Collins seminar on mobilizing voters. And strongly worded letters.

Don't forget sign waving too; every sign waved makes a difference.

Keep up the great work everybody, they will have to give us our freedom eventually, as long as we keep asking nicely.

[tod evans]

Perhaps I should have said it deserves it's own thread. This is a discussion worth having.

The discussion that needs to be had won't be had on Bryan's forum and quite honestly it shouldn't be had with, or in the presence of, 1's and 0's.......

But yes, I agree discussions about action must take place...

[Anti Federalist]

One hard reality I have come to terms with is this:

There is no innate human longing for freedom (as we understand it) in the human heart.

Most people do not want to be free: they want to be fed (or perhaps "made comfortable" is a better description), entertained and boss around their fellow man, just a little more than they are being bossed around.

Freedom will come from a minority of people wanting it AND bold enough to seize it, in the face of massive and violent opposition.

And so far, we, and I include myself, have come up short on the second part of that recipe.

[A Son of Liberty]

One hard reality I have come to terms with is this:

There is no innate human longing for freedom (as we understand it) in the human heart.

Most people do not want to be free: they want to be fed (or perhaps "made comfortable" is a better description), entertained and boss around their fellow man, just a little more than they are being bossed around.

Freedom will come from a minority of people wanting it AND bold enough to seize it, in the face of massive and violent opposition.

And so far, we, and I include myself, have come up short on the second part of that recipe.

I'm not so sure, AF.

I think it's a pretty fair bet that people don't know what freedom is; that is to say that Theye have been so successful in marketing their operation that true human freedom is such a foreign and abstract concept as to be thoroughly unrecognizable to the modern "American".

[Anti Federalist]

I'm not so sure, AF.

I think it's a pretty fair bet that people don't know what freedom is; that is to say that Theye have been so successful in marketing their operation that true human freedom is such a foreign and abstract concept as to be thoroughly unrecognizable to the modern "American".

No doubt, what is sold to the AmeriKan people is shallow and cheap knock off of freedom.

But, looking back through history, it seems to me a common thread: that freedom, of any sort, is usually disliked and resisted.

[A Son of Liberty]

No doubt, what is sold to the AmeriKan people is shallow and cheap knock off of freedom.

But, looking back through history, it seems to me a common thread: that freedom, of any sort, is usually disliked and resisted.

Probably. But it seems that people today are more disconnected from the very concept, as though it's an unrecognizable, alien thing. In other words, people might in the past have forgone freedom for comfort, etc.; but it seems today people don't even know they're foregoing it.

[tod evans]

Probably. But it seems that people today are more disconnected from the very concept, as though it's an unrecognizable, alien thing. In other words, people might in the past have forgone freedom for comfort, etc.; but it seems today people don't even know they're foregoing it.

Why is it that kops, prison guards and court employees salaries are on average double the mean income?

Eventually the trees will meld into a forest and those brushfires the good Dr. has spoke of will begin blazing.....

[NOVALibertarian]

One hard reality I have come to terms with is this:

There is no innate human longing for freedom (as we understand it) in the human heart.

Most people do not want to be free: they want to be fed (or perhaps "made comfortable" is a better description), entertained and boss around their fellow man, just a little more than they are being bossed around.

Freedom will come from a minority of people wanting it AND bold enough to seize it, in the face of massive and violent opposition.

And so far, we, and I include myself, have come up short on the second part of that recipe.

Hear hear.

That's why I've always believed that fascism is perhaps the most "natural" form of government as it, unlike Communism, allows some form (albeit limited) of individuality whist still allowing said human to be apart of a greater (and nationalistic) community. Most people tend to follow the crowd, and no system of government rallies "crowds" better than fascism.

If a longing for complete freedom was natural to humans, the entire history of humanity would be different.

[A Son of Liberty]

Hear hear.

That's why I've always believed that fascism is perhaps the most "natural" form of government as it, unlike Communism, allows some form (albeit limited) of individuality whist still allowing said human to be apart of a greater (and nationalistic) community. Most people tend to follow the crowd, and no system of government rallies "crowds" better than fascism.

If a longing for complete freedom was natural to humans, the entire history of humanity would be different.

Most people tend to not think too far outside of the given paradigm. Most people don't like being told what to do.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

People sell their freedom for stuff.

[Anti Federalist]

Most people tend to not think too far outside of the given paradigm. Most people don't like being told what to do.

No they don't.

So in a fascist system like the one we are living in, they get the opportunity to boss other people around or ruin their lives.

That salves the pain of being bossed around themselves.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

No they don't.

So in a fascist system like the one we are living in, they get the opportunity to boss other people around or ruin their lives.

That salves the pain of being bossed around themselves.

That's a pretty good summary, I'd say.

[Proph]

How many more election cycles shall be needed before you realize you are wasting your time and that Theye are laughing at your pitiful self? Will it EVER be acceptable to acknowledge that 800# gorilla sitting next to you on the couch? Will it ever be acceptable to call a rose a rose? Will it ever be acceptable to say that standing tall and employing murderous force against Themme is the only likely avenue that holds even the least hope of yielding a good result? Seriously, why is it that people who claim to want liberty restored always decry those who say that it is time to take matters into our unequivocal hands and put those who trample us to their ends? Why is that always looked upon as a non-solution? Do you never wonder about that?

If you can't even talk about what to do if things get too bad, you're already $#@!ed. With that being said, why is it not acceptable to discuss these avenues? (Forum guidelines, or fear of being black-bagged in the night?)

Violence begets violence, and most of "Theire" enforcers are blind to their current role as oppressors. Until they -- or, at least, the public -- understand the harm inflicted via the guise of "Safety," retaliation will be meaningless and will only cause more wrongdoing.

Anyone here heard of "The Plan"? (Apparently the interview was done in 2012, but up until a few weeks ago, I hadn't even heard of it. I'm not sure of its legitimacy, but I can hope, can't I?)

[ClydeCoulter]

No they don't.

So in a fascist system like the one we are living in, they get the opportunity to boss other people around or ruin their lives.

That salves the pain of being bossed around themselves.

And then, there are those that are lazy, whether in an opt out way or not, and don't want to do anything for themselves that they can get/take from others.

[DamianTV]

Why is it that kops, prison guards and court employees salaries are on average double the mean income?

Eventually the trees will meld into a forest and those brushfires the good Dr. has spoke of will begin blazing.....

The thicker the forest, the worse the fire.

[tod evans]

The thicker the forest, the worse the fire.

Just think of the mayhem the self-entitled government "employees" and pensioners are going to wrought once it starts burning....

They are afterall the wise and empowered whose job it has been to corral the mundanes, certainly once government can no longer support them it'll fall to the inconsequential mundanes to provide their sustenance...

[CaptUSA]

And then, there are those that are lazy, whether in an opt out way or not, and don't want to do anything for themselves that they can get/take from others.

I would argue people still crave freedom, but in a way, there is a certain freedom that comes with laziness. A freedom from responsibility. Depending on the individual creature, a zoo animal may not really care about their environment being limited as long as the food is delivered and the feces removed. There is a certain freedom in that - they don't have to worry about predators, they don't have to worry about scarce resources. Of course, it only works when the zoo is well-funded by those who choose not to be a resident. The irony is that over time, in order to keep the animals placated, the condition in the cages become more and more extravagant and the costs to maintain them continue to rise. So you need more and more from those outside the zoo in order to fund it. When the zoo finally runs out of money, the outcome for the animals is not pretty.

To desire true liberty is to desire responsibility for one's self. There are many people that do not want this kind of freedom. In fact, they already believe they are free and until such time as they are confronted with it directly, you cannot convince them that they live in the cage. Even when they see it first-hand, their initial response is to ask for better zookeepers - not to be released into the wild. That is not the "freedom" they want.

But the good news is that we are fast approaching a time where the animals that want to escape will find it easier to do so (thanks to technology) and those that do not will have to suffer in deteriorating conditions. When the conditions get bad enough, even those that liked it before will try to get out. Technology will also make the zoo animals more aware of their conditions than ever before. They will learn the type of freedom they have comes with a cost. This, of course, is the optimistic viewpoint of the same situation.

[Bryan]

I sincerely appreciate osan's post, and agree it deserves attention. I will response in terms, language and at a level that seems to best fit the original message.

Osan, your semi-rhetorical question as to what you are missing is simple, you are missing the big picture. Many of the words you have written and the thoughts you have expressed have reverberated in my past and I finally achieved clarity when I later saw the big picture. From a certain lens, the entirely of humanity can be seen as a sad joke as you express, and one that you can give up on. It's a truly bitter pill to swallow to know that you were born into bondage, like your parents before you and their parents before them. It can go against the grain of everything you have been taught in our "rah, rah, liberty" society but that doesn't make it untrue. Given the totality of our plight it can make you think poorly of our species, I think when you get there you truly have hit rock bottom and nothing will change that except for a refocusing of ones life. Consider, at that rock bottom place you have to make a choice - you can choose to stand for humanity or you can turn your back on it. Consider that, if you can see the truth in things there is hope for yourself. Consider further that if you can see this then other humans can too and given that then perhaps there is reason to fight for your self-being and the future of mankind. There is no option to leave this planet, that certainly will be kept off the table, so the battle ground is right here on Earth. It's do or die, make or break, right here.

To be brutally honest, in reading your post I can see one underlying theme: despair. It might sound insulting for me to say this, I expect you to disagree and I apologize if that hurts but as I said, I understand your post and remind you that your thinking may be different some time down the road. I will explain some of why I say this and ask you to not despair and to consider a path that leads away from this.

Each of us is born into unique circumstances, with a unique background and personal traits which makes defining a right path forward impossible but I will share what works for me. First, accept the situation we are in, come to terms with it in all of its ugliness, study, research, seek the truth knowing it's not pretty by a long shot. Next, accept who you are, where you are and that the status-quo is not acceptable. Accept that you are human and that you are limited in what you can do, then don't just accept your humanity, celebrate it and the wonders that are provided for us on Earth. There are still so many amazing experiences one can have, things to do, and wonderful ways to be that haven't been taken away from us. Fill your life with things that make you happy, it can be an amazing journey and we each need to find ways to make this happen, this is part of the big picture. Along the way however, there is still our fight. Our freedom will not be handed to us on a platter but our resolve against the enemies of freedom must be permanent. We will not go away, we will never stop fighting. It is despair to give up on yourself, your species or the fight you know you must be in.

So the real question becomes, how do we fight? This is something that I have given great consideration to. Spending time trying to help win elections can in fact be a waste of time if done poorly or for the wrong reasons. Consider there can be two benefits to electoral politics. The first benefit is the opportunity to connect with people to deliver the message of true liberty in a way that will shift other peoples thinking. Can this work? Oh, absolutely, and consider that elections are one of the few times when many people are actually open to talking about issues so you are really just leveraging the election as a vehicle for your message. So even in losing an election there can still be smaller victories along the way. Will you be able to really connect with people in this way while phone banking? Very likely not, but does that mean you shouldn't phone bank? The answer would be, it depends upon the election and what the candidate will do once they get in office - which is the second possible benefit to electoral politics. Getting the right people elected certainly doesn't mean that we've won and we can pack it all up and go home-- not at all. Winning elections however can give a big booster shot to our message by getting a bigger stage for some of our top people that can delver the message, we can also get legislation introduced that pushes the envelope and hold other elected officials feet to the fire for their support. To not see any of our progress from elections as having payback is simply a product of despair and not seeing the big picture of the value.

Similar principles apply to our projects. Do many of our projects fail? Yes, of course, and likely some should have anyway, but others don't. Consider spending many, many hours helping on a video project to which someone later says "[this video] changed my life forever" - would you consider that accomplishing something? It did for me. We don't know yet what fruit will come out of the FSP, it's too soon to yet know. Even though we haven't won, it is despair to think that our completed projects have been fruitless and our on-going projects will bear none.

What makes a project or campaign worthy of effort is an entirely different matter, and a critically important one. Also consider there is a huge difference between "sure, I'll donate a few bucks" and "I'm quitting my job, selling everything and going all-in".

There is no perfect formula for success, there is no silver bullet that gains our freedom - if there was it would have already been done, but that's not cause to give up. As for the figurative idea of storming the castle there are both philosophical and practical reasons to find a better path. Practically speaking, could you articulate a winning solution given that you are out numbered 100,000:1, out-gunned 1,000,000:1 and out financed trillions to 1? Never mind that all of your communications and travels are tracked 20 times over and your neighbors are happy to see a local terrorist in planning be apprehended. Do you really think it would go unnoticed if plans were made here? That guideline is here for our survival, if that was our mindset or culture we'd get shut down. This mindset is not who we are anyway however because it is a critically flawed mindset because of this: we will be the ones creating victims and enemies. Creating victims is what they do, which is the real reason why this is a failed path. It is despair from a lack of ideas to think this could be a viable option.

Consider a vision that, as we are winning there will be no one left protecting the true enemies of liberty as they hide in their fake palaces, and then they can be brought to the justice of true honest and wise men for their crimes. We could still do better yet to offer peace for those who truly come to terms with their evil ways of the past, reject what they once stood for and seek repentance amongst us who want to build a morally sound society with liberty as its bedrock. I am sure there are some, and I would welcome them, we are after-all common in our beings of life.

Being an activist is a state of mind, no one is going to work 24/7 in activities towards the cause. There can be times, even extended, where you have to defer to other priorities, and there may be times when there is a poor cost-benefit to all project opportunities on the table, but these are temporary measures as the mindset of winning the fight stays rock solid. Finding the right path isn't always easy to figure out, I have struggled plenty with how to advanced this website with lots of things to do, build and organize but never with an assurance it's the best path forward even though it seems I have it figured out.

As for now, let them laugh, but the bells liberty will keep ringing louder- and they will do so right here.

[osan]

Most people do not want to be free: they want to be fed (or perhaps "made comfortable" is a better description),

http://freedomisobvious.blogspot.com...-humanity.html

Human Comfort: Challenge And Opportunity For Liberty Advocates


People want comfort. From a certain standpoint, it can be credibly stated that comfort drives the human animal more strongly than any other factor, though one must be careful when taking the idea to such extremes because he faces the risk of distorting the meaning of "comfort" too wildly. Suffice it to say that comfort is one of the truly central aspects of a human being's moment to moment existence.

In the interest of knowing better that of which we shall speak, let us once again turn to the dictionary that we may have the definition at hand. From dictionary.com:

com·fort [kuhm-fert]

noun


4. relief in affliction; consolation; solace: Her presence was a comfort to him.

5. a feeling of relief or consolation: Her forgiveness afforded him great comfort.

6. a person or thing that gives consolation: She was a great comfort to him.

7. a cause or matter of relief or satisfaction: The patient's recovery was a comfort to the doctor.

8. a state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety: He is a man who enjoys his comfort.

9. something that promotes such a state: His wealth allows him to enjoy a high degree of comfort.

11. Obsolete . strengthening aid; assistance.

Origin:


1175–1225; (v.) Middle English comfortien, variant of confortien, conforten < Anglo-French, Old French conforter < Late Latin confortāre to strengthen, equivalent to con- con- + -fortāre verbal derivative of Latin fortis strong; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.

Note the etymological origin of the word, meaning "to strengthen", which brings us to the concept of power. In my experience, all people seek power in one form or another. Toddlers strive to walk, then run, and as they grow take on new and more difficult challenges, the attainment of each increasing their immediate personal power. Once again from dictionary.com:

pow·er [pou-er]

noun

1. ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.

Origin:

1250–1300; Middle English pouer ( e ), poer ( e ) < Anglo-French poueir, poer, noun use of infinitive: to be able < Vulgar Latin *potēre (replacing Latin posse to be able, have power).

One can clearly see the interplay between comfort and power. To be empowered is in some manner to be comforted.

Generally speaking, people will attach themselves to whatever it may be that brings them the comfort they seek. Different people derive that comfort in different ways. Some find it in food, others in drugs and alcohol, religious devotion, love, and even anger and hatred. Paradoxically, others are comfortable often or even only while in a state of some form of discomfort. There are many dimensions to comfort.

Emotional comfort may stem from relationships, religion, politics, etc., the latter being one of the big sources. In that context, people choose the political views that offer them the best fit for comfort in accord with their needs and desires. This often translates into truth-be-damned adherence to a set of beliefs, as is most often the case with religion, to cite another example. Comfort is, for many people, far and away more important to them than is truth . This is readily verifiable by observing how their behavior comports itself with respect to their statements regarding the place that truth occupies in their lives. One will often find that those who claim truth as ultimately significant often behave in ways that betray the claim as false to greater or lesser degrees. It may be also observed that the greater the claim of truth's significance is, the greater that degree of falsehood. If the truth threatens their comfort, they often reject it out of hand. In many cases, they will become violent and even kill to protect themselves from truths that threaten their comfort sufficiently.

When some fundamental aspect of a person's comfort is perceived as being seriously threatened, almost anything is possible in the way of a reaction. This can be readily observed in the areas of religion and personal relationships. The screaming believer, so thoroughly convinced that his "faith" is the absolute and only truth in existence will actively reject any evidence contradicting those beliefs, no matter how undeniably the facts may establish the falsehood of his belief system. Press the issue with sufficient force of logic and persistence and you may find yourself sporting a radiating shiner.

Consider the housewife whose husband stands accused of molesting their children. Perhaps as often as not the spouse will stand by her man and remain in utter, stoic denial regardless of the fact that irrefutable evidence has been presented, proving the charges without any room for reasonable doubt. Because their comfort is so heavily vested in their relationships, to acknowledge the facts presents a truth too terrible to accept, and so they hide in the comfort of their fantasies.

And so it is with political beliefs, which in many ways occupy analogous positions to those of the religious in the belief systems of people and the comfort they provide. This fact assumes particular significance when one attempts to engage in the act of altering the most closely held political beliefs of others. It is, therefore, something that must be recognized and understood by those holding dear the truths of personal liberty. Many, and perhaps even most, people fail to understand what freedom actually is. They mistake what I call "pretty slavery" for freedom and regard actual freedom as a state of chaotic and dangerous insanity - of brute anarchy where there are no rules save that of the jungle such that those with the most power rule over the rest without mercy. What they fail to see is that this precisely describes our current system to a 'T'.

The challenge, then, is to make this apparent to them, and the only way to do this with any hope of success is to discover and understand the relevant factors of comfort as they apply to those in question. One of the fundamental requirements in the method for bringing such people around to the ways of true freedom is the need to be able to identify and understand a given individual's comfort with respect to his objections to liberty. One must understand what makes such people tick - what it is that attracts them to whatever flavor of pretty slavery it is to which they cling. Without this information it is at best very difficult to change anothers' point of view, given the near-religious fervor with which some hold such opinions.

Once one has the basic understanding of the other's comfort in hand, and assuming the person to be convinced is an intelligent, honest, open-minded individual of nominal mental health, addressing and assuaging the threats to his comfort regarding his attachment to slavery becomes the first step toward the elimination of this objections to real freedom. Getting one to recognize that his version of slavery is not freedom is an uphill battle at best. If you are going to engage in such efforts, best that you proceed as well equipped as possible because you will likely have your work cut out.

Comfort is of central importance to all humanity, regardless of the fact that it takes on such wildly varying forms between individuals. We all have those things that "make us tick". Comfort is very much a two-edged sword that has both helped us and harmed us. Understanding the form comfort takes in any given person is central to understanding him and key in helping you determine what approach to take with them in your efforts to illuminate them to the beauty and virtues of freedom.

Until next time, please accept my best wishes.