Remember a few weeks ago when I blogged about the need for politicians to foment panic in order to retain power?  Scaring the populace into giving authority to the power-hungry is the oldest trick in the book.


National emergencies, crises, panic… they’re all best friends of the statist swine whom we reward with our votes election season after election season.  Emergencies allow them to show “leadership,” and when the market invariably corrects itself, which is something it would do with or without political interference, they can take credit and continue milking the tragedy and horror.

Well, Michelle Malkin this morning reports on just such a phenomenon.


Calif. Rep. Brad Sherman was one of the sane Democrats who kept his head and opposed the bailout in the face of panic and threats. He reveals how some members were scared into voting for Crap Sandwich 2.0 after hearing that martial law would be imposed. His statement: “The only way they can pass this bill is by creating and sustaining a panic atmosphere. That atmosphere is not justified. Many of us were told in private conversations that if we voted against this bill on Monday, that the sky would fall, the market would drop 2 or 3 thousand points the first day another couple the second day. And a few members were even told that there would be martial law in America if we voted no. That’s what I call fear-mongering. Unjustified. Proven wrong.”
Some have asked me why I would focus so extensively on economics white writing a blog that is essentially about gun rights.  If the above doesn’t provide a perfect explanation, let me say this…

I have long known that authoritarian swine amass power by creating crises.  Apathetic sheep with no clue about current events, economics or politics, flock to the polls drunk on the promises of politicians to fix their sorry lot in life, and high on the fear that if they don’t vote these statists into office, something horrible will happen.  The more panic, the better for the politician.  The more overwhelming the crisis, the bigger the problems, the more mindless sheep will depend on big, strong government to fix the calamity for them, because they’re raised and bred to believe in the nanny state vice their own skills and abilities.

But some of us know our own worth.  Some of us understand that politicians are not the solution to our problems.  More likely than not, they’re the cause.  Some of us have been raised to respect ourselves and our abilities.  We were taught to take responsibility for ourselves and our loved ones.  And we don’t cede those responsibilities to anyone, let alone some hapless, impotent, petty tyrant whose most ardent desire is to rule his own little fiefdom while being protected, worshipped and paid by the people over whom he lords his power.  These are the people who refuse to give up their rights.  These are the people who refuse to surrender their personal honor and their lives.  These are the people who retain the ability and the tools to protect themselves from armed thugs from all walks of life – be it common street criminals or common Washington ones.

So what to do with those who refuse to bow to their masters?  Forcibly disarm them, leaving them defenseless and unable to resist, of course!  How do you do that without being obvious and inciting the wrath of some of the sheep?  Invent a crisis and implement martial law.  That way you have cause for disarming the peons.  That way you’re justified.  After all, these armed conspiracy loons and insurrectionists would otherwise stand in the way of the government doing its job to sustain the great unwashed, right?

Look, I’m not one of those tinfoil hat loonies, and no, I don’t think black helicopters will be flying into my backyard at any moment to collect me and take me to an indoctrination camp somewhere in the mountains of Oregon.  However, if you ask me what gun rights and the Second Amendment have to do with the economy, I’ll ask you this:  what is one sure way to ensure unrest in a nation?  Answer: a poor economy.  When people have no way to eat, no way to heat their bills or dress their kids, when they lose their homes and their cars, economic unrest is not an outlandish prediction.  Hell, they rioted in Egypt this spring over long lines for subsidized bread!  Economic unrest is not an unlikely scenario!  With unrest comes looting and other criminal activity, and with more than half the populace bred to rely on the goverment for the defense of their lives and property, criminals have easy prey.  With unrest comes martial law, as the government assumes control, disarms you and takes away your basic rights, while telling you that it’s for your own good and your own protection.

And you wonder what the economy has to do with gun control?

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