Modified Daoist base philosophy can provide a useful interpretative lens for the world, in this case providing a helpful metaphor for the progression of governments. As has been previously discussed, my interpretation of Daoist thought utilizes binary to explain the concept of yin-yang. To introduce a new layer, seeing Daoist thought in mathematical terms of whole number counting, addition, subtraction, division and multiplication, while keeping in mind its binary nature, can allow us to see the parallels that show how all the world's governments are simply various points along a same bipolar line, with two extremes and one mean point. So far in the world we live in, only the lower end of one extreme and the mean point are usually reached. The two poles are these; Fascism and government by means of the Dao. The mean point is a government which provides for all the needs of its people, but does nothing to organize them into larger projects or to help encourage projects begun by its people. This is an analogical model for seeing all governments as part of a continuum rather than isolated entities.
With this in mind, we can look at the governments of the Middle East as degraded single-power governments that embrace various degrees of fascism. The traits that embody them are these; 1. high degrees of control over its citizenry by denying them basic rights, 2. a military/security state willing and able to carry out its edicts, including shooting and dispersing its own citizenry, 3. a siphoning of resources from the majority of its citizens to a minority of its citizens. These resources are retained and never get redistributed in their entirety to the citizen majority. Thus, traits one and three disempower the people of a nation, while trait two makes sure that attempts to revolt are quashed.
There are many tools that are utilized by each trait; the more tools available to and used by the government, the lower on the pole towards absolute fascism. But making separate scales for available tools and the will to utilize those tools helps create a more complex model. Often a government may have the tools available, but will not be able or willing to employ them. The latter may ensure a brutal crackdown, but as is being seen in Libya, if the people oppose the crackdown by force of arms, there becomes a division within the state between the people and the government. In this scenario, the people's armed resistance capability and willingness to commit that capability is measured against the scaled available tools and dictatorial will.
There are countries that have democratic governments, but increasingly coming under the influence of fascist influences. In the case of the United States, it is helpful to see our country in the terms of US and us.
US is the government, assorted lobbyists, mainstream media figures and organizations, top-tier CEOs, mega-corporations and various thinktanks and sympathetic agencies. us with the lower-case is the other 90% or so of the American population, particularly those who are NOT among that 1% with 40%+ of our nation's wealth. US is constantly trying to leach us, turn us against each other, trick and rob us, control us and remove the ability of us to oppose them. This degradation of our rights is a step by step process with plateaus; at a certain point, all those smaller steps add up, a part of our life-support system is undermined, everyone but the rich fuckers suffer, and we all go a little further down while they go up.
I was talking earlier about Daoism and mathematics. I'd like to go back to that and explore that as an analogical model here. Let's take each basic right given to us as a whole number. These add up to a certain number, let's say 10. To get from the most basic of rights, 1, to more advanced rights, 2, there was a fractional progression from 1.0 to 2.0. These were the fights of everyone who got us from the bottom to the top. Black people are no longer on plantations, women can vote, these could be examples of 2 and 3.
The efforts of US is to go in the reverse direction, from 3 to 2 to 1 to 0. It's the same thing; they do hundreds of little steps, taking us from 6.732 to 6.726. There's still hundreds of steps to go, but as soon as we reach 6 and go below, bam, all the rights of 7 are gone.
The problem is we outnumber them almost a hundred to one. Once we identify the motherfuckers as the pestilent, rotten, putrid pustulent mess they are, they done. So without employing the divisory methods described above successfully, they can't exist. They constantly fear their comeuppance, and so try to continually increase their hold upon us. This is achieved by various repeals of regulation restricting them, repeals of laws that guarantee a minimum of rights for us, and sneaking through incidents that try to establish precedent for illegal interpretations of the law. You imprison someone for uncertain charges; if there is no outcry, that becomes the new acceptable norm.
There is an eventual transition point; an event horizon where an egalitarian government becomes inegalitarian. It is when an oligarchy forms, becomes entrenched, and reaches the point of being able to remove rights without effective opposition. As soon as the oligarchic elements understand that there is no one to stop them, they escalate their activities continuously until there is now an autocracy, where the leadership can impose restrictions on its citizens at will.
In the Middle East, those autocracies are losing their ability to impose restrictions upon its citizens. In the United States, the oligarchic, corporate elements that become an autocracy are making their move. They have been unopposed by spineless democrats for long enough that they think they can go for the throat. In Michigan,
"And for it to happen on the same day, because just a couple hours before that, the state of Michigan, my state, the Senate voted—the House already passed this bill—the Senate voted on a bill that gives the governor the so-called "emergency powers," where he can essentially fire the elected mayor or city council or school board of any town in Michigan and turn it over to a corporation—I’m not making this up—turn it over to a corporation to run the town, or appoint a corporate manager to run the town—not the elected people, but this individual or this company can run the town."
The only opposition left is the people; however, as we hold and resist, there will be elements of the government which, in their own self-interest, will begin taking our positions. They are only as strong as we are, but they know we still hold their yokes, as corrupted as that process now is. We vote them in. We can vote them out. We can recall them when they step beyond the boundaries. We must use our legal means and protest to first stem, halt, then reverse the hemorrhaging of our protective rights. The more of our rights that get revoked, the more likely our revolution will resemble Libya rather than Egypt.
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The Dragon of San Marcos
