Strike The Root Blog

A couple of  recent, fatal events involving state actors illustrate well how lives of individuals are manipulated to strengthen the master/subject relationship between individual and state.
 

First, a Dallas police officer was shot and killed on January 6th while serving a warrant. A tragedy, to be sure- particularly since the officer had a record of mentoring youth to keep them out of trouble. But any grief is tempered by the immensely huge funeral procession that accompanied the dead officer. Humility has never been a virtue for those working in law enforcement. Public expositions such as this bring to mind the reality of the relationship between the state and the individual.

The police don’t exist to protect individuals. The police exist to serve the needs of the state and collect its revenue. The police will continually remind us just who matters most (it’s not you) and just who is in charge (it’s definitely not you). The police’s obscenely ostentatious display of pomp and public expense illustrates that well.

The police are just another gang looking to control turf. The only difference between them and the street gangs is that the police wear uniforms and badges. When street gangs rob and kill individuals it’s called “crime.” When the police and state rob and kill individuals it’s called “good government” and “effective law enforcement.” The only reason the police and the state (the government gang) fight street gangs is because they are perceived as a threat to their monopoly of force and coercion.

The life and property of you meaningless, tax paying, peons is irrelevant. So, pull your cars to the side of the road and get out of their way!
 

Second, an Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed  January 12^th at Texas A&M University, killing one person. Much speculation has arisen over why the chopper crashed. Upon closer examination, one fact is certain- the state will only be strengthened, not weakened by such an event.

When realizing the fact that the military produces nothing but death and destruction, this should be considered a successful flight. Mission accomplished! One death and a destroyed piece of equipment amounts to an institution well-focused on what it does best!

All sarcasm aside, the tangible benefits to the state after such a tragedy are:

• Those employed as crash investigators will have plenty of work to keep them busy while they calculate just what caused the accident.
• The destroyed helicopter will have to be replaced, resulting in more job security and revenue for the ever-busy military industrial complex.
• The personnel lost will have to be replaced, creating a new assignment for aggressive military recruiters.
• The new personnel will have to be trained, clothed, fed, etc, resulting in a multitude of support opportunities.
• The treatment of the injured and the care of the deceased’s family will necessitate more work for the military medical and compensation establishment.

Add to these tangible benefits the intangible gains:
Militarists everywhere now have another dead hero to fawn over. Only the military honors those who have failed.
The media will expound on the “service” of the deceased, contributing to the statist conditioning of the populace that the military is comprised of brave, courageous folk who are our only barrier between being free and living under tyranny.
The military uses this event to expound on the dangers involved in “protecting” the populace from ever-increasing (and state created) threats.
Bastiat said, “Society loses the value of things which are uselessly destroyed.” Yes, society suffers but the state is strengthened, at further cost to society. Society is forced to pay for the state’s mistakes- in this case, the military’s. The state is not only tangibly compensated but intangibly strengthened.

The Emperor faces the end of his reign….

….as it is time for him to leave….

….to a standing ”O”….

….and head for the trash bin of history:

Wax Fantasy- The new Emperor is in, the old one is….under arrest?

The Obamaniacs head to DC….

….with new plans for the tax serfs:

Good News! Her Highness’ butt isn’t too big….

….and the family is happy:

The killing continues and no one can bear to watch:

The blast of the shofar accompanies the genocide:

Just a fun ol’ time for the IDF:

Graves, graves, we need more room for graves:

Beware- tryanny can come from any direction:

One act of defiance….

….cancels one act of cowardice:

Global cooling is making life difficult:

Sometimes, the odds look a bit overwhelming:

Swarm, Swarm!:

Your tax dollars at work- an RV for the moon:

Chesley B. (”Sully”) Sullenberger is a god.

Seriously. If I were to run into the guy on the street tomorrow, I would simply be in awe of his presence. That’s because Sullenberger actually crash landed a malfunctioning U.S. Airways jet on the Hudson friggin’ River and nobody was seriously injured. That is just positively amazing. It’s one of those achievements that should stand as a glaring reminder to the rest of us as to what human beings can really accomplish. That act was nothing less than the culmination of many years of intense focus, careful study and much mastering of some very tricky technical skills. Just amazing.

It’s interesting, though, that I hear so many people around me mention his experience as an F-4 fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. The upshot of these conversations is thank the gods for “our” military, so that people can learn such highly valued, life-saving skills. The irony never seems to dawn on these people that the mission of the armed forces is to destroy human life, whereas Sullenberger preserved human life.

But they also seem to forget that Sullenberger has been flying commercial airliners since about 1980, whereas he spent only six years in the Air Force. Why jump to the conclusion that what Sullenberger was able to do yesterday must have come from his military experience, rather than from his more numerous years as a commercial airline pilot?

And why this assumption that only the military could provide the kind of training needed to fly airplanes so skillfully? It’s true that many military pilots take their flying experience into the commercial airline industry. But surely if there was no military at all, that does not mean that we would all be doomed to flying in planes piloted by incompetents. There’s no reason to doubt that some of the billions and billions of dollars that would be spared from “national defense” each year would instead be spent by the airline industry itself, or currently existing flight schools, on continuously improving pilot training and education.

Interestingly, Sullenberger is the founder of a business that provides “technical expertise and strategic vision and direction to improve safety and reliability in a variety of high risk industries.” Sullenberger’s actions yesterday demonstrate that highly skilled individuals offering their technical expertise in the marketplace in pursuit of their own personal gain—rather than myriad bureaucrats and their rules and regulations—are the most effective at keeping people safe in potentially dangerous situations.

(Cross-posted at The Postmodern Tribune.)

More ammo for journalists:

The state wants your children….

….and this is how it gets them:

The real policy of No Child Left Behind:

Stealing money and lending it cheap:

The central planners meet to decide how to engineer the next depression:

A hopeful look at the future- tools of war become lawn ornaments:

Lots of ghosts and boogie men in Afghanistan:

The Emperor-To-Be is drowning in estrogen:

Fasten your seatbelt for a wild ride:

Hey, W.- Dodge this:

Seeking instructions how to kill for the state in the name of God and….

….Success!:

The hands of the savior or tools of the devil?  Have they ever seen a hard day’s work?:

The Emperor’s audience continues to decline in stature….

….and numbers:

Still more murder, and Israel’s (and the U.S.’s) fingerprints are everywhere:

Praise those who have the courage to resist….

….rather than cower in fear:

Gimme that old time religion….

….it’s good enough for me:

Out of our way! Just a lil’ ol’ funeral in Texas:

Johnny Law finds an appropriate uniform:

Resist the state and risk its wrath:

Slicked up and ready for another day of jackboot hijinks:

The only safe way to view the blinding ignorance of politics:

You’re welcome. I drive a Toyota made in California:

Ford makes a surprise move:

The expectations are high for the Man With Melanin:

Children will continue to love their mother, even when abandoned by her:

A simple act by one brave man….

….can change the world in a blur….

….and arouse dissent among the victims….

….and put tyrants on the defensive:

Warning, rats in the area:

Good tidings of great joy! The reason for the season is still in the race:

The Ex-Emperor-To-Be will soon have no subjects to direct and harass:

They can’t protect their own building but they DO protect us from runaway basketball mascots:

Rapid Response for the Fatherland is on it’s way:

No room for individualists within the state collective:

No room for non-conformists within the civic religion:

Country First!:

This is what the corporate media thinks is important- A confirmed liar and thief has lunch with the daughter of a long dead president:

Make it a public display- Flush your allegiance to the state:

Wash regularly. Don’t’ let the horsesh%# accumulate on your rear bumper:

A great Christmas gift- A new dart board for the game room:

He’s drinkin’ again:

A political office for sale? Why the shock?

Gimme your best shot:

The Old/New Deal- Swapping lives for pretty rags:

Spread the terror- Collateral damage at home:

New corporate acronyms on the horizon- Gimme Money!….

….and Finance Our Rotten Designs!

Don’t let Johnny Law steal your Christmas:

Rule of Politics #23: Always put the receptive and easily convinced in the front row:

Save your breath- reason won’t work:

Dude, where’s my job?

Slammin’ concrete- another important defensive function:

How you’ll soon be flying the friendly skies:

It won’t happen sittin’ down. For state-initiated change, stand up and grab your ankles:

Snow in New Orleans- Reality just won’t conform to the climate kooks:

Start a hot new career in law enforcement!:

Socialist monkey wrenchers continue to give true anarchists a bad name:

Taking the lives of children isn’t enough for US Crusaders- Now, they’re taking their toys:

Entertainment on Capitol Hill- Watching the taxpayer get roped and tied:

Fly the rag proudly- Land of the Cowards and Home of the Slaves:

Always plenty of saps to join in the fun, ….

….keeping the people mollified with bread….

….and circuses, ….

….leaving them exhausted from insatiable materialist appetites:

The Emperor contemplates his legacy….

….and “hangs” with the only folks who won’t put a rope around his neck:

Newman lives:

Warped state reasoning- a pretty rag will replace a father:

What to do? Charge ahead or let sleeping dogs lie?

Throughout the animal kingdom, liberty lovers object to Johnny Law and the mainstream media:

New York thugs-with-badges need some holiday overtime, so………Voila!:

Land of the Rescue….

….and Home of the Bailout:

The magic of democracy- Iraq will now belong to Iraqis “as long as the river still flows and the grass still grows:”

Preemptive insurgency- Obama, “let my people go:“

Armed with smiles and reassured by an ignorant public, a new reign of terror is set to begin:

The newest gangsters-in-the-house show themselves off:

Welcome back. The place just isn’t the same without a Kennedy crook prowling the hallways:

Gather ’round, children. Get the young’s attention….

….and fascinate them with the tools of war…

….to inspire service and sacrifice:

Gitmo to be closed? Let’s find some other primates to lock up:

Got my eyes on you. Even thugs need an amusing diversion:

It’s the only life they’ve known. The insurgency starts young:

Pull over and we’ll talk. Just your friendly neighborhood jackboot walking his beat:

A sign of events to come?:

‘Bama’s proposed cabinet is looking like clones of the Bush Era:

Coming soon to your neighborhood:

A jail cell for the future Ex-Emperor? No such luck:

Where? I’m still searching:

Collectivism-on-the-Mall….

….and ancient, comical writings on the Capitol wall:

The state gets serious about keeping recruits in line:

Looking for healing. She touched his robe!:

A sense of urgency. Get them while they last:

A few lucky ones are able to escape the clutches of US crusaders:

Burying the dead of wars long past- a job never finished:

Confusion. The Emperor defends the free market.…

….but still reassures the bankrupt dinosaurs:

Keep them busy doing something. Obama‘s job policy:

Obama’s centurions aim to keep The Empire alive:

Together again? And you thought she was finished?: