The Importance of Constant Pressure Part II: Civil Disobedience and Historical Context

One of the historically effective means of changing Government Policy, even a Government itself can be found in the actions and results of three mass movements during the 20th Century. The non-violent resistance of Ghandi, Martin Luther King. The third became violent (by Law Enforcement). That was the anti-war movement of the late 1960's.

Civil Disobedience is a risk to all who partake in it. Bodily injury, death and/ or imprisonment are, but a few, consequences of such a choice. Civil Disobedience only works in numbers; very large numbers coordinated and focused on a single act of tyranny or in numbers that practice daily against the policies of a Government.

The entire undertaking of the American Revolution was a mass movement coordinated and focused on the tryanny of King George. The American Civil War was a mass movement towards a Government policy. Though this act of succession was a focused act. The way of life to Southerners was threatened and so they continued to practise daily that way of life against an instituted Government policy.

In the first part I wrote about how enacted laws do two things: They take away Liberty and tax us to pay for the enacting and perpetuating of said law. No one reading this will disagree that in every facet of their lives people run into some sort of law forbidding them one thing or another. Those pursuits not illegal are heavily regulated, or taxed.

Think back to the openning of the West to settlers. If you had the money to purchase a land grant that, probably, was the only physical asset you actually paid a tax on. I am not aware that when you purchased a horse and wagon you paid an inspection fee, or licensing fee, excise tax for the shitty trail you embarked upon. You weren't even required to buy vehicle insurance. You paid cash for your provisions and off you went. Upon arriving at your homestead you were not required to obtain a building permit, file with the EPA before clearing the land or register with the Department of Agriculture before bringing your corn to market. You just did these things, you did them well or no one would buy your stuff, or your wife would leave you because you built a crappy house and your children would starve and die if you did not provide for them.

Many of the points I made in the last paragraph open a Pandora's box for Legislation that did come in the early 20th Century. Quality of food and it's safety was regulated, land was getting destroyed and needed to be protected, cities and towns were springing up and some sort of central planning was needed. Commerce had to be tracked to ensure quality, safe passage and a fair pricing system. Nobody is arguing the historical neccesity of most of the laws we enjoy protection under. What I am talking about is the abuse that has evolved from these laws from the very agencies charged with the responsible management of these laws.

That same Homesteader today would be aghast at the hurtles he would have to insurmount even before purchasing his plot of land. Any reader who is a business owner knows first hand the regulations, taxes, surtaxes (thats my favorite one, tax on a tax), insurance, property taxes, fleet taxes, inspections, etc. The outcry of business today is the mountain of taxes they must pay to operate daily, the onslaught of new regulations, National Healthcare and payroll taxes (profits be damned). Business taxes may have been high during the mid 20th Century, but business was far less regulated, profits assured due to the predominant American Industrial Machine. That no longer exists, but the Government model of regulation does.

The result is entire communities devoid of industry and opportunity. Virtually everything we buy is made overseas where the very regulations that drove production over there, do not exist over there. The cosequence is a 10% unemployment rate nationwide and a 14% underemployment rate nationwide. Here again, the Government model still operates as it always has, tightenning regulations and taxing more from a smaller tax base. Those who cannot pay are fined, closed down or jailed exacerbating a festering economic wound.

Civil Disobedience is one way to directly impact the tyranny of this over taxation without any representation. Change in policy will be, at most, mediocre. The game plan won't change, just how it is played. For too many families this is a no win situation as the weekly new unemployment claims and foreclosures clearly show us.

Some of the ways we can excercize Civil Disobedience on a mass scale could be to organize a citizen Lobby Group to force the votes of our Legislators to lower taxes and reduce regulation through exposing their voting records, private skeletons and shady dealings. Vote out any one who votes for any new "Law" or "Act".

Refuse to obey local ordinances that demand payment for permits, fees. Don't pay your excise tax and stage recurring mass protests to stop this surtax. Quit the PTA, attend every School Board meeting and reject everything they propose. Stage recurring demonstrations outside the homes of your local Legislators and demand their records be made public. Actually post these in local newspapers and pass them out in parking lots to customers.

Get yourself arrested alongside your fellow demonstrators and refuse bail and refuse the fines assessed to you. Then do this all over again and again and again. It will not be long before the press gets hold of this growing movement and the Elected will have no choice but to open a public debate. Overwhelm the system with non stop and widespread refusal to obey any law that restricts your Liberty.

The most important thing to remember is to never engage in any violent act. When the police show up to disperse you, sit down and say nothing. Be silent, resist pasively. Go limp like a petulant child. Let them be captured on a cell phone camera violating your Civil Rights and send that immediately to the local news stations.
Be firm in the knowledge we are all taking the first openly resistant steps to changing the direction of the nation.


....And That Is The Diatribe....