Politically
speaking, we are living in a dystopian novel, except that we are
ignorant by choice - in the information age, you don't have to believe what Big Brother tells
you on the telescreen, or give credence to the printed and posted
agitprop from the Ministry of Truth, dubbed by Orwell as "Minitrue."
The whole narrative about the Syrian gas attacks is fertilizer, a repeat of four years ago. It's bovine scatological matter to aid the growth of martial mush in the minds of patriotic but misled Americans. Very soon the difference between uncritical consumers of B.S. and those who deign to think for themselves will be more apparent than ever. This latest round of misinformation about Syria, though not new, represents a watershed moment, an opportunity for free people to discover that our government really is THAT corrupt, controlled by an amoral, murderous cabal no matter who resides in the White House.
Or people can proactively decide that freedom isn't for them. These folks, made of the same stuff as you and I, lest we forget that it is God who makes us free, will continue to parrot rigid ideological slogans from wings left and right, all redounding to the health of the state. They will put aside their differences with each other (which, in the big picture, are akin to the difference 'tween Coke and Pepsi) to cheer for the troops. Sadly, their enthusiasm for supporting the troops will distract them from any critical analysis of the state's stated reasons for sending young Americans to be traumatized in wars having absolutely nothing to do with defending America, but that make our country a pariah as thousands of civilians are slaughtered, and rogue elements which are part of every invading army rape and pillage among those we are allegedly liberating.
When the troops come home with their PTSD, the jingoists who "thanked them for their service" will expect the VA to make them well again, BY GAWD. Never will these worshippers of all things military contemplate that it was a damn shame to send fine young men into Hell for the sake of oligarchs - oh, yes, and women too, must be equal equal equal, instead of women using their God bestowed feminine gifts, which make civilization civilized, let them do the same dumb things men do.
If you're a peace lover, be prepared to be called unpatriotic. Historically, you could even be imprisoned for opining against a particular war (cf. Lincoln, Wilson), or, if you're the wrong ethnic group, you might be sent to a concentration camp (cf. FDR, Hitler).
God help us to be peacemakers. Many of us were once deluded into believing the lies of the Warfare State. The propaganda apparatus is massive: all major television networks, the major newspapers, talk radio, and sadly, Christian media ("my people perish for lack of knowledge"). They are experts, using fear, manufactured consensus, and suppression of truth to make loyal citizens feel obligated to obey the state, rather than God (they're not the same, btw). We can't convince those who don't want to be convinced. When we encounter obtuse, impervious people we must pray for them - we've been the same way at some time in our lives. Respect where respect is due, and it is always due in some measure to those made in God's image.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).
The whole narrative about the Syrian gas attacks is fertilizer, a repeat of four years ago. It's bovine scatological matter to aid the growth of martial mush in the minds of patriotic but misled Americans. Very soon the difference between uncritical consumers of B.S. and those who deign to think for themselves will be more apparent than ever. This latest round of misinformation about Syria, though not new, represents a watershed moment, an opportunity for free people to discover that our government really is THAT corrupt, controlled by an amoral, murderous cabal no matter who resides in the White House.
Or people can proactively decide that freedom isn't for them. These folks, made of the same stuff as you and I, lest we forget that it is God who makes us free, will continue to parrot rigid ideological slogans from wings left and right, all redounding to the health of the state. They will put aside their differences with each other (which, in the big picture, are akin to the difference 'tween Coke and Pepsi) to cheer for the troops. Sadly, their enthusiasm for supporting the troops will distract them from any critical analysis of the state's stated reasons for sending young Americans to be traumatized in wars having absolutely nothing to do with defending America, but that make our country a pariah as thousands of civilians are slaughtered, and rogue elements which are part of every invading army rape and pillage among those we are allegedly liberating.
When the troops come home with their PTSD, the jingoists who "thanked them for their service" will expect the VA to make them well again, BY GAWD. Never will these worshippers of all things military contemplate that it was a damn shame to send fine young men into Hell for the sake of oligarchs - oh, yes, and women too, must be equal equal equal, instead of women using their God bestowed feminine gifts, which make civilization civilized, let them do the same dumb things men do.
If you're a peace lover, be prepared to be called unpatriotic. Historically, you could even be imprisoned for opining against a particular war (cf. Lincoln, Wilson), or, if you're the wrong ethnic group, you might be sent to a concentration camp (cf. FDR, Hitler).
God help us to be peacemakers. Many of us were once deluded into believing the lies of the Warfare State. The propaganda apparatus is massive: all major television networks, the major newspapers, talk radio, and sadly, Christian media ("my people perish for lack of knowledge"). They are experts, using fear, manufactured consensus, and suppression of truth to make loyal citizens feel obligated to obey the state, rather than God (they're not the same, btw). We can't convince those who don't want to be convinced. When we encounter obtuse, impervious people we must pray for them - we've been the same way at some time in our lives. Respect where respect is due, and it is always due in some measure to those made in God's image.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21).
