The Ethics of Revolution

By Vox Day - WorldNetDaily

I received an e-mail from a reader, which has inspired me to think about the rights and wrongs of revolution. While the author agreed with my sentiments, he accused me and other freedom-loving writers of spending too much time on words and not enough on action. Considering that individual rights are now being violated in means more significant and systematic than they were in the time of our revolutionary forefathers, I concede he has a point.

And yet, it is worth considering what forms of action are appropriate for those who would see a return to a constitutional government respectful of individual rights and freedom. I agree that the American political system is irretrievably broken, indeed, the intricate design of checks-and-balances has mutated beyond recognition from what was originally intended to be a limited form of republican democracy, and I do not believe it is possible to effect positive change from within the bounds of the corrupt and monolithic "two-party" system.

Vote Republican, vote Democrat or don't vote at all - it makes absolutely no difference in matters of lasting significance to the nation.

Thomas Jefferson once praised the benefits of a little revolution now and then, but he may not have been entirely aware of its destructive potential. Indeed, a close look at the differences between three famous revolutions, the American, the French and the Russian, reveal that the manner in which a revolution is conducted has a tremendous effect on its aftermath. The morality, or lack thereof, demonstrated by a revolution's leaders is a matter of the utmost importance and inevitably shapes the form of the government which inherits the mantle of the old, illegitimized authority.

While the authors of the French and Russian revolutions felt that violence was quite justifiable and resorted to it as a matter of course, it is striking to see how long the Sons of Liberty waited, from the time of their formation in 1766 to "the shot heard round the world" in 1775, before shedding the blood of a single government agent. The Sons refrained from lethal violence even after the 1770 Boston Massacre, and it is worth noting that when the war finally began at Lexington and Concord, the revolutionary action was a defensive one against an armed invasion of government soldiers.

This is very different from the dialectic form of modern revolution, inspired by the French and Russian examples, wherein violent provocation is conceived in order to inspire a violent reaction that, in turn, hopes to inflame the common people to a state where they will rise up en masse to overthrow the government. The problem, of course, is that the people are usually repulsed by the revolutionaries' own violence, and so successful revolutions of this type usually require significant outside support. In fact, this form of revolution might be better characterized as a paramilitary coup, and it is no surprise that revolutions sown with such seeds of violence tend to reap the bloody harvest of the gulag and the guillotine.

In the case of the ethical revolution, the primary assault must not be on the power, but the confidence of those who rule.

There are few truly evil people in the world, and so it is of vital importance for those who wield illegitimate power to deceive themselves into believing they do so justly. There is no question that had King George and his Parliament chosen to exercise the power of the British military to its full extent, they could have crushed the rebellious movement. However, they did not have the will to do so, because Samuel Adams and his fellows had succeeded in creating serious doubts about the justice of the anti-revolutionary cause among their fellow subjects of the Crown.

The Second American Revolution, if it is to be successful, will depend on a resolute opposition to violence until the moment when the government, facing a crisis of confidence, betrays its true foundation in a manner so vicious that the scales will finally fall from the average American's eyes. Then, and only then, will it be time to raise the rattlesnake banner and remind our would-be masters of the lethal venom in the people's liberty teeth.

This does not, you understand, mean that there are not other ways to resist a lawless government that has overstepped its rightful bounds. But more on that next week ...

The Actions of Restoration

Now we have a few suggestions which are not only justifiable for men of conscience and good will, but also will help bring about the restoration of lawful constitutional government in America. The good news is that because the government's behavior is so often outside the law, the legalities are usually on our side. The bad news, of course, is that most officials prefer the status quo to enforcing the law as written.

A hallmark of totalitarian government is to co-opt those who passively oppose the enterprise by forcing them to participate in the process, which allows those in power to claim that their right to rule is legitimate. Striking at this pretense is paramount, therefore, it is imperative that patriotic American Restorationists refuse to take part in the corrupt fraud that is the federal election process. It will be very difficult to claim democratic legitimacy if the vast majority of the people refuse to take part.

Another related tactic is one I have mentioned before. The Bureau of Internal Revenue, otherwise known as the IRS, has successfully conned most Americans into believing that they have a responsibility to pay federal income taxes. Most do not, because very few Americans are residents of the federal United States, being instead residents of a sovereign state which is a member of the United States of America. The fact that a few corrupt judges disagree with this is of no account - look up the law and read it for yourself if you do not believe me. Then act accordingly, which for most of you means to claim exempt and stop filing.

A third step is to hammer those third parties who act as virtual agents for the federal government. Not only are you not required by law to provide your social security number in order to open a bank account or visit a doctor, but they are legally banned from asking for it. Title 5 U. S. C. §, 552 (a)(7)(A)(1) and Title 42 § 4o8 (a)(8), make it a felony for any agency or instrumentality to require the disclosure of such a number, punishable with up to a one-million dollar fine, censorship, five years in prison, or a combination thereof. So, every time someone demands your SSN, call the cops on them.

Because the investment and banking systems have been inextricably tied to the IRS reporting systems, take your money out of them. Buy gold, physical gold. The government hates this, which is why FDR banned private ownership of it in 1933. It would be even better if individuals began accepting it as an alternate means of payment for goods and services. In any case, it's not a bad investment right now.

Read up on the laws regarding your local officials. In Oregon, more than half of the state's circuit court judges appear to be illegitimate since they've never taken the required oath of office. Check your state constitution to learn if one is required - if it is, see if the judges' oaths are on file with your secretary of state. This is a good and lawful way to eliminate the worst federalist whores. After all, your Honor, ignorance of the law is no excuse!

If you don't have a gun, buy one. If you've got one, buy one for someone else.

Now, these six suggestions may seem like petty pinpricks to the gargantuan colossus that is the federal government, but it's not as if dumping a shipload of tea into Boston Harbor shook King George's throne ... at first. Government is a fragile beast, and I have no doubt that these actions, if acted upon by a dedicated few, will begin to bring about the freedom and lawful rule we seek.

If 700,000 pot smokers are willing to be arrested for their cause every year, then how much more should we, the sons of American liberty, be willing to risk for ours?

Vox Day is a novelist and Christian libertarian. He is a member of the SFWA, Mensa and the Southern Baptist Convention. He has been down with Madden since 1992.

Related Links:

Source: World Net Daily