The Revolution Within the Revolution

great post

ping

"The Ballad of Dwight Frye" was an early Alice Cooper song written as a paean to the actor who played Renfield in the original "Dracula" movie.

Thanks. I wouldn't have guessed that in a million years. (I was listening to Van Morrison when I should have been listening to Alice Cooper-LOL).....guess I'll have to check it out.

By the way, just for background information, Renfield is the name of my cat. When we got him, he was a manic stray kitten, and his all-purpose response to any stimulus was to bite. He turned into a fine feline....loves laps.

I agree completely with your posting.

I've been developing a theory that true freedom only existed in America when it was a wilderness. At that time, the ability of the community-at-large to coerce behavior and extort monies in accordance with the demands of rapacious mob rule was limited by a rough and untamed land, sparsely populated. As towns and cities experienced population growth and industrial development, the ensuing leviathan state followed, as night follows day. First the Atlantic coast was lost, then the area over the Appalachians, then the West Coast, until even the heartland was consumed by the envy and avarice of the unsavory elements in society.

Even in populated places, in days past the relative cost of enforcing laws and regulations was high. The police and military had to conserve scarce resources to pursue serious lawbreakers and malefactors. A sheriff on horseback pursuing a thief or killer wouldn't be bothered with one-tenth of the stuff that today's police obsess on, like traffic violations and other frivolous municipal ordinances. Today, with patrol cars and modern monitoring technologies, the police have made criminals out of each and every one of us. Big Brother is indeed with us, always peering over our shoulders and in our windows.

To make matters worse, there is no longer a popular consensus for liberty and freedom. In fact, these things are viewed as inimical to the smooth functioning of a regimented and controlled society, which people today view as the greater good. The children today are taught nothing other than cradle to grave socialism from their first day in kindergarten to college graduation by a socialist cadre of teachers who themselves don't appreciate or desire the benefits of liberty and freedom.

Most disconcerting, the socialist project is aided and abetted by the religious community among us, which at first recognized the dangers of unfettered government. The original settlers in this country were escaping religious persecution committed by the King's men. Now, these people have forgotten the very foundational reason for American independence and actively support the Democrat party, which pursues policies that will lead to their own demise.

I expect nothing less than the continued decline of the American experiment.

bttt

Wow. He's analytical AND eloquent! Absolutely brilliant article! I've become as attached to Wretchard as much as Mark Steyn. Thanks for starting the ping list Eurotwit!

Awesomely stated.