Wednesday, July 4, 2012

An Independence Day fit for mourning -- and fighting. Have a Happy 4GW Fourth!

Signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Sowell has it right. What we experienced last week was "Judicial Betrayal."
There are many speculations as to why Chief Justice Roberts did what he did, some attributing noble and far-sighted reasons, and others attributing petty and short-sighted reasons, including personal vanity. But all of that is ultimately irrelevant.
What he did was betray his oath to be faithful to the Constitution of the United States.
Who he betrayed were the hundreds of millions of Americans -- past, present and future -- whole generations in the past who have fought and died for a freedom that he has put in jeopardy, in a moment of intellectual inspiration and moral forgetfulness, 300 million Americans today whose lives are to be regimented by Washington bureaucrats, and generations yet unborn who may never know the individual freedoms that their ancestors took for granted.
Sowell presents his column today, on 4 July, an Independence Day fit for mourning. But mourning is for those who have the time to do so, and not for the warriors in liberty's cause determined to avenge the loss.
I am working on an essay on how we may best conduct a 4th Generation Warfare fight to defend our lives, liberty and property now that politics and the judiciary have failed to do so.
For those unfamiliar with the term, here's one succinct definition from the best single book on the subject:
(Fourth Generation Warfare) uses all available networks -- political, economic, social, and military -- to convince the enemy's political decision makers that their strategic goals are either unachievable or too costly for the perceived benefit. It is an evolved form of insurgency. Still rooted in the fundamental precept that superior will political will, when properly employed, can defeat greater economic and military power, 4GW makes use of society's networks to carry on its fight. Unlike previous generations, it does not attempt to win by defeating the enemy's military forces. Instead, via the networks, it directly attacks the minds of enemy decision makers to destroy the enemy's political will. Fourth-generation are lengthy -- measured in decades rather than months or years. -- COL Thomas X. Hammes, USMC, The Sling and the Stone, p. 208
Hammes describes in the beginning of The Sling and the Stone his introduction to insurgency and insurgents. On this Independence Day it is even more relevant.
From 1987 to 1990, I got a small taste of the practical aspects of insurgency. I spent those years training insurgents in various locations of the world. This was the tail end of the Cold War and the United States still had vested interests in the outcome of a number of insurgencies. The most intriguing part of the tour was the opportunity to talk to these men. I was particularly impressed with two aspects of the men I met. First was their utter determination to continue the struggle despite the odds. They were not deterred by fear of death. In each case, they were engaged in a struggle with a government force that possessed many times their military power. In each case, they knew the odds and were not deterred. They believed in their cause and were sure that belief was powerful enough to defeat the government. The idea they fought for was central to their resistance. In fact, they were counting on political power generated by that idea to neutralize the overwhelming military power of the government. As I worked with these men, I realized this fact should be obvious to Americans. An idea kept our American revolution alive during seven long years of war. (Emphasis supplied, MBV. It should also be noted that for most of the key leaders of our Revolution, the struggle began a decade earlier with the Stamp Act crisis.)
The second outstanding trait was the remarkable ingenuity they displayed for overcoming problems. Whether the problems were tactical, logistical, doctrinal, or political, they often attacked them from a direction that simply would not occur to a Western-trained soldier. I found insurgents are not impressed with conventional power. They respect it but seek ways around it -- and have consistently succeeded in finding those ways. They often used tactics and techniques that were outside the training and experience of the government forces. Despite years of war, they consistently surprised government forces with their ingenuity and determination. Insurgents are living proof of why man is at the top of the food chain. We are the most creative, treacherous, loyal, aggressive, and determined life form to yet evolve. Any nation that assumes it is inherently superior to another is setting itself up for disaster.
I would add to that last sentence that the same goes for political elites, only more so.
The question we have to ask ourselves this Independence Day is do we, individually and collectively, have the perseverance of the Founders? Do we have the sheer, naked will to secure our liberty no matter the failures of politics and government gone to corruption?
I believe we do. In future essays I will explore how we can do it. Until then, I wish you all a Happy 4GW Fourth!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool. Some 4 July script sent. FYI-- had to fight Paypal more than normal to do this, they changed stuff, but I figured it out.

Christian Patriot III said...

I would like to suggest that the anger many feel towards Roberts is wasted energy. I was disappointed with the ruling for a fraction of a second but quickly noted that with the terms defined, we had a strategic advantage to press now with Obama. As many have noted, he can't say he didn't raise taxes now. Now he's either a liar or a liar instead of a weasel or a liar. The difference is subtle but important. Not one American voter should have a logical leg to stand on in supporting this chump. Justifying voting for this guy is becoming increasingly difficult.

And, at the end of the day, I'd rather the court just say what they think and not make law. Obamacare is such a cluster it will grind out the grist from each state that tries the ludicrously expensive proposition of enacting a State level exchange. Those smart enough to vote in constitutional protections against employer mandates (another key lynch pin where absence means failure for Obaminationcare) will quickly realize an economic advantage over those willing to play along.

Obamacare will not now be enacted in full over night. We've just crawled off the open field of conflict into the trenches. The courts decision, had it gone the other way, would have ensured a quick victory and stoked the fire of the left... something we want to avoid as an election approaches.

Now it will become increasingly clear what is and who are Statist in our midst - even to common voters. What's that Senator? It was a huge lie and I will have a 6% tax increase? WTF? I think that's going to be a common train of thought in the run up to the election and that's exactly what we want.

Charles N. Steele said...

Happy Independence Day. Thanks for your work exposing F&F. I look forward to your 4GW essay.

Anonymous said...

Hooah.

j said...

On July 3, 1776, Founding Patriot John Adams wrote to his beloved wife, Abigail, on this very topic:

Yesterday, the greatest question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater, perhaps, never was or will be decided among men. You will see in a few days a Declaration setting forth the causes which have impelled us to this mighty revolution, and the reasons which will justify it in the sight of God and man. ... It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this Continent to the other from this time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph in that Day's Transaction.

tom said...

I doubt Gary would mind me posting here his take on the Supreme ladies in night dresses:

Dear MSSA Friends,

There's been a lot of electronic chatter about the USSC's Obamacare decision, including many comments about what an evil guy Chief Justice Roberts is. Here is my take on the decision, for what it's worth.

I believe Chief Justice Roberts is more wise than many are giving him credit for. I suspect there was a deal understood among the five conservative justices to throw a political hand grenade into the upcoming November elections.

To accomplish that, it would be necessary for one of the five conservatives to vote with the four liberals to "uphold" (but not exactly) Obamacare. Roberts was the volunteer, but he cut a strong deal with the liberals in the process. The deal was that he would write the decision, that the decision would slam the door on creating yet another expansion of Congress's Interstate Commerce Clause Power to regulate Americans, and that Obamacare would be clearly defined as a tax (not a regulatory effort).

In construing Obamacare as a tax, Roberts availed himself of a great opportunity to educate the voters of America. He warned voters that it is not the job of the Supreme Court to protect voters from the folly of electing bad people to Congress or the Oval Office. What Roberts didn't say overtly, but is within the message of the decision, it: "You voters really screwed up when you voted to elect a bunch of power mongers to Congress and the White House. You have the chance to do better this coming November."

So now the largest tax increase in American history is the dead Albatross hanging around the neck of a lot of incumbent politicians who pushed Obamacare through Congress. That will be a huge liability for them in November, an especially good campaign tool for those opposed to this huge tax and running against the incumbents, if the challengers exploit the issue well. Further, a wooden stake is driven through the heart of the theory that Congress may force people to buy stuff they don't want under the guise of regulating commerce among the states.

Finally, because Obamacare is now clearly defined as a tax, it makes yet again a grand liar out of Obama, it raises the pressure for Congress to repeal the entire package, AND it practically limits the penalties for those who don't go along.

Not a bad outcome.

Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association

All Rights Reserved To Gary Marbut

John said...

Great post. Thanks for your work exposing F&F. I look forward to your 4GW essay.

Anonymous said...

On Roberts-- when you have the opportunity to simultaneously defend the US Constitution and flush a monstrous turd as large as ObamaDoesn'tCare and you don't do it, you are a fool, a tool, or both.

Roberts should have his tenure on the court revoked.

Anonymous said...

July 27th Congressional vote on U.N. small arm`s treaty. They are about to hear the "Go Fuck Yourself !", heard round the world.

Ed said...

Here is a list of who voted for and against Obamacare in the House of Representatives:

http://keyboardmilitia.com/2010/05/18/the-obamacare-voting-record-we-wont-forget/

And the Senate:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00396

Know this and act on this before the elections in the ballot box on the day of election.

Taxed enough already?