The friend

Let's say you have a friend. This friend comes into your house and never leaves. This friend, who has nothing of his own, and anything he has he has gotten from you or other friends, (and he lives quite well on that!) constantly tells you how to live your life, tells you how to spend your money, never mind the fact that he himself is bankrupt and he steals to stay alive (he even takes your money when you're not looking and spends it on things you would disapprove of), gets into your business and tells you all the things you are doing wrong in your business, (he doesn't even have a job much less run a business). In fact, everything he has tried to run has failed miserably. This friend is always telling you how neighbor so-and-so is living wrong and doing things he doesn't approve of and "there ought to be a law against that"! This friend is so arrogant he tells you how to raise your kids, and tries to turn your own children against you so they will buddy up with him.
 How long until you say: ENOUGH! OUT YOU GO! and throw the bum into the street? "Well," you say, "that is not a friend at all! I wouldn't tolerate that for one minute from anybody. How does he know what is good for me?!!"
Really?
Now let's say your friend's name is government. Do you still feel the same way about him? Government is just a group of our "friends" who do the exact same things as our made-up friend. How are they any different than you? How are they better than you? How do they know what is good for you? How do they know how to spend your money better than you? Run your business, live your life, raise and teach your kids?
The fact is, they don't.
But they have the one thing our friend didn't have. They have guns, they have a lot of them, and they point their guns at you. Of course, all the while telling you to live a peaceful life... or else! What does peace mean to them? Your servitude.
So they run your business, steal your money, spend your money on things you don't want or need, tell you and your neighbor how to live your lives, take your children to raise them the way they want, and what will you do?

Dare you resist?


"The time has come at hand, whether Americans will be free men, or slaves." George Washington

Which will you be?

Anne Hutchinson; matriarch of individualist anarchism in America

Anne was another Puritan who came to America in search of religious freedom. But her search would take her on a journey that reached far beyond that. While in Massachusetts Bay colony, she started promoting an individualistic approach to worshiping God, that one's conscience should dictate how one worshiped, not a bunch of man-made rules and conditions. This teaching swept through the colony, much to the dismay of the ruling class of the Church. Remember, the Church policies were enforced by the civil magistrates, and any teaching that contradicted church policy, not only threatened the so-called church, it threatened the rule of the civil government as well, which received all of its authority from the church.
The church rulers (an oxymoron in my mind, rulers of the church?) moved swiftly to stop this heresy. On a side note, we have to remember that these rulers were not so much concerned about the spiritual well-being of their colony, (and definitely not their physical well-being, as I will point out later) as they were with retaining their power over the colony. We know that forcing one to follow a certain creed or practice or religion isn't doing that person any good if he doesn't believe it for himself, and by enforcing this practice, the church rulers were themselves committing the very heresy they were supposedly against.
Anne was hauled before the magistrates and leaders of the colony. The accusations flew, but she held steadfast in her convictions.  She was convicted by the court of sedition and contempt, and banished from the colony. The magistrate moved now against her followers, and banished from the general court the two who spoke up for her at trial. Banishment was postponed due to the harsh winter, and she was kept under house arrest at the home of one of her greatest enemies, while the elders of the church daily argued with her to recant.
Several of her followers left the colony to start another colony, and under the guidance of Roger Williams, purchased land from the Indians in the Rhode Island area.  The significance of Williams' flight and settlement of Providence was now becoming clear: Williams set an example to all others who sought religious Liberty, and for the extension of the logic of Liberty, once Liberty is experienced, it's difficult to restrain. Anne joined them and her husband in the spring.
Anne soon became more concerned and aware of the freedom of conscience than advancing her own religious views, pushed to have the new colony's constitution changed, and eventually the colony of Portsmouth was born. No more Oligarchy, all the men in the colony were signers and voters, trial by Jury was established, and freedom of worship was guaranteed to all. Diversity of religion proliferated in the colony.
Anne Hutchinson, living in such freedom, soon took her belief in Liberty of conscience a step further, one that " pushed the logic of Roger Williams libertarianism far beyond the master." Anne persuaded her husband to leave his post as an assistant to the government, because of her opinion now that all magistracy was unlawful.
As Murray Rothbard put it, " the logic of Liberty and a deeper meditation on scripture had both brought Anne to the ultimate bounds of libertarian thought: to individualist anarchy." Winifred Rugg said of Anne, " She was supremely convinced that the christian held within his breast the assurance of salvation... and for such persons magistrates were obviously superfluous. As for the other, they were to be converted, not coerced!
She was later killed by warring Indians, much to the delight of the Massachusetts masters. But the spirit of Liberty that she carried was still much alive, and Massachusetts was soon to see that the Spirit of Freedom of Conscience and Liberty had taken hold in the hearts and minds of man, and torture and death could not stop it, as we will soon see.  

Muse "Uprising"

Fascist radio

It is truly amazing to me how many folks in this country are duped by the right wing radio talk show fascists.
You know, the ones who groan on and on about Obama and the democrats and their "unconstitutional acts" and blab about how "our Founders would roll over in their grave!"
The supposed "great one" who is called upon for his constitutional wisdom among the talk shows.
The same guys who thunderously applauded the Patriot act's implementation. The same ones who applaud aggressive wars. The same ones who scream about the wickedness of Obamacare, then have Mitt Romney on their show and laud his conservatism. The same ones who espouse family values, with special guest Newt Gingrich. Or the one who talks of family values and the next segment talks about his 4th wife, or is it his 5th? The same ones who double speak about being pro-life, and promote sending our kids into war, to kill and be killed. The same ones who blab about the left wanting to suppress religion, and then try to close Muslim mosques.
 Freedom of speech and assembly and they mock anyone who protests the federal reserve. How the "left" doesn't tell the truth and hides information from us that may be damaging to them, and blackball Ron Paul. Yes those republicans are the answer to all things good radio talk show hosts.
These flukes never speak of our revolution. But they do espouse obedience to the state. Do you ever hear the word "Liberty" come from their mouths? Would they know what it means?

What I am trying to point out is, they are lying stooges.

And I do believe the founders of the united States would surely roll in their grave, especially if they could hear these guys push their lies and attribute their wisdom to the wisdom of the Founders.

On Party politics:

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.
This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.... It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another. George Washington


On foreign entanglements:


Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be, that good policy does not equally enjoin it  It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and at no distant period, a great nation, to give to mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence. Who can doubt that, in the course of time and things, the fruits of such a plan would richly repay any temporary advantages which might be lost by a steady adherence to it ? George  Washington


I have ever deemed it fundamental for the United States never to take active part in the quarrels of Europe. Their political interests are entirely distinct from ours. Their mutual jealousies, their balance of power, their complicated alliances, their forms and principles of government, are all foreign to us. They are nations of eternal war. All their energies are expended in the destruction of the labor, property and lives of their people." --Thomas Jefferson


Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her (America) heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.  She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. John Quincy Adams


On the patriot act:
"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety." 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 


"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves."  William Pitt


On Liberty:


A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry. Jefferson 
 

"We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government."  James Madison

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."

Patrick Henry  

On Morality:

"Can the liberties of a nation be sure when we remove their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift from God?  Thomas Jefferson

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  John Adams

"(T)he foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; ...the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..."  George Washington

And finally, man's Right to resist tyranny:

"If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained _ we must fight!"  Patrick Henry

And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them.... The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."

Thomas Jefferson

"Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God."  Thomas Jefferson

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."  George Washington


So, the next time you turn on the radio and hear one of these guys blabbing on and on, and they bring up freedom, the Founders, the Constitution, or anything of the like, remember what you read here, from the Founders themselves, and you can disassociate yourself from the lies of the "right" and arm yourself with what Liberty is all about. Like we have said here before, don't take our word for it, and please, don't take the talking heads' word for it; look it up yourselves. 
  

Roger Williams

Roger Williams, an English separatist (one who advocated separating from the Anglican Church of England) and an apprentice of Sir Edward Coke, came to the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1631. He was immediately offered a teaching position which he turned down. He embarrassed the Puritan Separatists by claiming they should openly separate from the Church of England. He went further by denying the civil authority the right to punish infractions of religious rules or doctrines. This struck at the very core of theocratic principles, and the General Court replied that it was absurd to maintain that a church might fall into heresy and the civil magistrate could not intermeddle.

The mere thought that the state should be separate from the church was up to now unheard of, and the thought put fear into the Puritan rulers.

Williams also denied the right of the king to make land grants to the colonists. Williams maintained that the land belonged to the Indians and should be purchased from them. He went on to refuse the loyalty oath to Massachusetts and urged his congregation to do likewise.

The Puritans had enough. He was banished from the colony. Williams went on to purchase his own land from the Indians and started Providence colony. The heads of household were the voters of the colony, and there was complete religious freedom, free from the state. Free to worship, or not to worship, without fear of retribution. This became important for later fugitives of Massachusetts. Baptists, Quakers, and Jews were welcome to Providence.

According to Williams, coerced religion led sects to “slaughter each other for their several respective religions and conscience.” He believed that persecuting anyone for the practice (or non practice) of any religion was to persecute one for the Liberty of Conscience.

The logic of Liberty had, as we shall see, even more drastic implications. For, as some citizens of Providence began to reason, if the conscience of the individual was to be supreme in religious matters, if the state was to have no power to interfere with any actions determined by his religious conscience, why wouldn’t this extend to civil matters as well? Why shouldn’t the individual’s conscience reign supreme in all civil as well as religious affairs? Murray Rothbard, Conceived in Liberty       

Setting the stage, Individualism in America

 Liberalism, another word that has been taken hostage by political factions these days, or Classical Liberalism, Libertarianism and Individualism, or Anarchy,  has roots in America going back 400 years.

 The early Americans who we are told left England to find “religious freedom” created the exact opposite. The Puritans in Massachusetts had set up a religious oligarchy that was more oppressive than anything they had left. Not only was the Puritan theology forced on you from the church, but the civil government also enforced all the Puritan edicts. If you didn’t come to church, you were whipped.  Nothing could be said against either the church or the civil government, (which were one and the same) or you were whipped, banished, or put to death. You were free to believe what they wanted you to, but it ended there. The regulations put on the people were so extreme you could hardly move without violating a law (sounds oddly familiar). The Oligarchy saw the brainwashing of the youth as its best protection of its power, so it instituted the first mandatory public schools in America, with the stated intent of training “obedient” subjects.

Not all subjects were allowed to join the church, and only church members were allowed to vote for the rulers, another way to solidify their power.

The Reverend Urian Oakes gave the thought of the rulers of that day: “The loud outcry of some is for Liberty of conscience …I look upon this unbounded toleration as the firstborn of abominations.” So here is what was faced by the settlers of the new world.

But I would submit that wherever there is Tyranny, there is a Resistance, and these Puritans leaders suffered from an inner contradiction: their own protestant tenant of the Individual being able to interpret the Bible without ecclesiastical decree. And that Spirit of Individualism would soon spread not only to religion, but to civil society as well.