America has been slouching towards tyranny for quite a while, and now, well, it’s sprinting.
Mandates and “social taboos” are a governmental control mechanism, and unless more people stand up quickly and vociferously, we will lose our rights for the foreseeable future. Tyrants don’t easily give back power — history has taught us that. We’ve already lost so much, though there are alternatives (which I’ll explain in another post). We’ve seen all of this before. Let’s take heed and learn from the past.
In the late 1760’s English Parliament imposed a series of onerous decrees that resulted in a number of concerned Americans to build out clandestine organizations to develop strategies to fight them. These decrees — or mandates (called Acts) — from the elitists, were a severe imposition on the ability of Americans to live more self-determined lives. Most effected were those that were small business people and those that embraced self-determination and the desire to live their lives in liberty.
The Stamp Act was really a shot across the bow of the American citizenry (unlike today’s shot in your arm — a bit worse if you ask me). The tax was universally hated, and it was repealed after widespread rioting and intimidation by colonists towards government officials. But the Crown — and its Loyalists — just saw that as a challenge, rather than a defeat, and more onerous mandates followed.
The English Parliament was mostly undeterred by the failure of the Stamp Act. Even though there were flashes of violence such as the Battle of Golden Hill, the Boston Massacre and the Gaspee Affair, the Crown didn't repent. Instead, they doubled down. English Parliament and the Crown imposed more onerous taxes and duties throughout the late 1760’s and early 1770’s. Then they expanded their powers by putting British soldiers in private homes. Then they sent in troops to cities to keep protests down. Then they locked people up without due process. Then they started confiscated guns and gunpowder. The series of laws that developed after the Boston Massacre — called the Intolerable Acts — removed liberty and rights from Americans in a cascading fashion. This went on and on until the shooting war began.
Keep in mind that the elites of the time felt they knew what was best for the Americans. Well, that was the public line. The reality was that the Loyalist government was doing what was best for them — see the connection to today? Nothing changes and history repeats.
Doing what’s best soon turned to “do what you’re told.” In Colonial America the “elites” were comprised of those the worked for the Crown, those that received monetary benefit from their association with the Crown and those that just felt the Crown knew best because, well, they were told to believe that. The latter group were the followers, the go along to get along crowd. The latter group weren’t bad people, they were busy, they were subsistence farmers, laborers, and tradesmen just trying to get by. These people didn’t want to concern themselves with political issues, and generally felt that things would take care of themselves. The elites, however, felt like they were the adults in the room. The rabble that protested were troublemakers and were not thinking the bigger picture, in the elites minds. These rabble needed to be silenced and removed from public discourse. They didn't;t even deserve a seat at the table.
The advent of the Stamp Act was the triggering moment for groups that formed to fight the tyranny of the mandates. These groups represented — initially — a small minority of people living in British America. The first Committees of Correspondence were made up of only a handful of concerned citizens — roughly 70 to 100 in total. In the whole of the Colonies. That’s it.
(above, Sons of Liberty flag)
These “Sons of Liberty” were the contrarians, the instigators, the questioners, the people that always asked “why” and “why now?” They wanted to understand the end game and how these laws and mandates impacted the core freedom and liberty based heavily on personal responsibility that they were practicing in early America. They knew the British Empire had overextended itself and was in massive debt. They also knew that the Crown saw British America as an opportunity to pay for its many foreign interventions. To the elite of the time America was the land of opportunity for them, not for the average sort.
Many of these liberty-minded people were engaged locally, but not necessarily the “elite” of their time. There were a few inner circle types, John Hancock was, after all, one of the richest and most highly influential men in the colonies. That said, he had a rather loose association with the Crown (and the law) and wasn’t a favorite of any Loyalists. It didn’t help the Loyalists causes when they accused him of smuggling and took one of his ships. It turns out that illegally taking one’s property and sources of income pisses people off. Sounds familiar. But most of the original “Sons” were in the merchant, tradesman, and professional class — cabinet makers, silversmith, lawyers, doctors, fire wardens, local politicians, some soldiers.
The rallying cry of the the day was “No taxation without representation.” Basically - don’t make us for pay for shit when we don’t even have a say in whether we want to pay for it or not. It become more about civil liberties soon afterwards but the same idea applied - you are doing things to us without any representation from us.
Today, it’s slightly worse. You see - we put these people in charge. Laziness and ignorance in the form of sleepy, stupified voters - are the ones that created the monster federal and state apparatus’ that rule our daily lives.
Modern Americans abrogated self-determination and community policed government to a political and elitist class that represents the very idea of over-reaching, totalitarian government.
Our American society today is run by the elitists. The authoritarians. This is a cabal made up of politicians, non-elected government bureaucrats, the mainstream media and large corporations. They aren’t just Democrat — they are those the revel in bureaucratic bullshit and personal and corporate gain, I call them Team Tyranny.
Team Tyranny has dictated that they control your lives, and for the most part, Americans have listened.
Lockdown! Okay.
Mask! Sure!
Get vaxxed! Yes, sir.
Get vaxxed again! Which arm?
Get vaxxed or lose you job! Damn right!
Get vaxxed or you’ll be banned from what used to be normal activities! Of course, sir, you know what’s best for me.
Put this untested drug into your kids arms! Where? How fast can I get this!
Show me you papers! Heil Fauci!
These demands, often not even laws, are the Intolerable Acts of our times. They take our freedom, our liberty and even the way we just led a normal, quiet lives, and turned them upside down.
But the majority, as in the 1760’s is mostly silent. Mostly compliant. Just as in the 1760’s and the lead up to the American Revolution the average person was told by the leading press what their masters wanted them to be told. The average American has been frightened and — based on the people that they put into power at every level (Local, State,. Federal, they want to be told what to do. I believe the Vax Acts or even more insidious than the Acts of the 1760’s and 1770’s.
As in the 1760’s there are rays of hope, and they seem to be growing. Small, just as in the pre-revolution days, but smart and tenacious.
Who are our Sons of Liberty today? Where is that small group that incites action of the larger group to rise up?
I’m seeing a lot of folks that have been sidelined by the mainstream “Loyalists” who are not backing down. Alex Berenson, is he our modern-day Thomas Paine? Is his new Pandemic book the “Common Sense” of our time? He’s absolutely writing in the vein of the best 1760’s pamphleteers.
This minority — often meeting amongst themselves and a small cadre of followers — are like the “Intellectual Dark Web” we see in today’s Substack and alternative media channels. These thinkers — much like the Committees of Correspondence — are growing in number - and in influence. Folks run out of Twitter, YouTube, even their jobs are seeing monetary support from an unlikely cross-section of other contrarian thinkers. All on platforms like Substack, Gab, Rumble and others.
We also see parents fighting back — and recently — taking back some School Boards from the assault on critical thinking these boards they have embracing. We see wokism starting fail in a blue state. This needs to continue and become a movement. Much like the American Revolution, it was a small group that took Team Tyranny head on, and turned the tide to create the most free system the world had ever seen.
Our modern day Committee of Correspondence includes many people pushed out of the mainstream. Here’s the short-list — add your own.
Alex Berenson, the modern day Thomas Paine. Is there a more eloquent and passionate person in the Covid Dark Web? He’s the Common Sense of our age. Speaking truth to power, never backing down.
The Data Mining Gato known as Bad Cattitude. A data mine feline that understand culture and craziness. The brilliance of Benjamin Franklin shines in this cool cat.
Margaret Anna Alice. Delving into the Looking Glass of the culture of fear created by Team Tyranny. Deep thinking in the vein of James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and John Locke.
Mark Oshinskie and his Dispatches from a Scamdemic. Super approachable, everyman that tells it like it is. The Samual Adams rabble rouser with a heart.
Eugippius, the mad monk across the Water. Data, data, and more data. Unclassifiable and absolutely required reading.
There are so many more. But these are go to Team Liberty leaders.
We must also remember that it took close to a decade before the actual shooting part of the American Revolution took place. And God knows we do not want to end up in shooting war. There were off-ramps that the Crown and elitists could have established, but they dug themselves too far in, and, being the Empire that they were, didn’t back down. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for all future Americans, the smart contrarians didn't back down either. Some hoped for war, to be honest, but most wished and prayed for a different course of action.
I’m hopeful that our new Team Liberty will force Team Tyranny onto an off-ramp. No one really wants violence. We are seeing small intellectual uprisings of smart, thoughtful thinkers — in groups — that won’t back down — and they are growing. Fighting the Covidians and the Woke is an uphill battle, but, perhaps, deplatforming has given rise to societies of thinkers that are building the case. Slowly, methodically, and unceasingly.
So, my fellow citizens, RISE UP! RISE UP! RISE UP AND BE HEARD!
Vax Mandates + Wokeism = The Stamp Act on Steroids
This was most excellent. Thank you!
Complete & Total Agreement 💕🐱💕