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Episode-1885- Join the Quiet Insurrection — 17 Comments

  1. I remember reading a WWII book about Berlin and how the war affected Berliners. By the end of the war they had become apathetic to the carnage, cynical about the delusional Nazi party, and despairing over their destroyed economy and bombed cities. A dark and sarcastic tone overtook the entire city and only got worse as the city was then divided into east/west zones after the armistice was signed.

    Sad that things have gotten so bad here now that we’re shadowing the mindset of WWII era Berliners, only no bombed cities, no concentration camps, no millions of dead soldiers. I hope this is the dip, because at this point I’d hate to see what would happen to my fellow Americans during an actual crisis.

    Then again, it is an election year with yet more controlled opposition and little to be hopeful about, so the depressed attitudes don’t really surprise me. I’m sure we’ll all feel much better in the new year when we have Der Furher Hillary to inspire us.

    • Actually we have all of those things, “bombed cities, concentration camps, millions of dead soldiers”, just the camps are called refuge camps and many of the millions are not soldiers and the average American doesn’t care because it is “those people” suffering vs. “us people”.

    • Man, that’s no lie. I read this book about a year ago called “Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II ” by Keith Lowe. It’s about middle class women prostituting themselves to get food for the kids. About individuals being rounded up and executed because…well because no one was going to stop the executioners. it’s horrible and yet it was only two generations ago.

      Then I read Jack’s recommendation “Ersatz in the Confederacy” and you quickly realize that throughout history war is hell for more than just the combatants. In fact in many a ways, it’s worse for the non-combatants.

      Just more reasons to be prepared cause we just don’t know.

      • Absolutely war is worse for civilians it always has been. We have forgotten that lesson because the last war on our soil ended in 1865. Since then our nation has been at war for well, almost the entire time somewhere but somewhere is not here.

        America’s appetite for war is directly proportional to our ability to be insulated from the carnage, sacrifice and bloodshed.

        If our people were FORCED TO SEE WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING we’d have a libertarian government in the next election cycle.

        Our nation’s flag should be solid red for the blood we have on our hands.

  2. at minute 45: “and one day you’ll do something and go, ‘that felt good’, good, you’re on the right path…assuming it’s not a needle in your arm.”

    Oh man, that was funny as hell.

    Once again, tears rolling down my eyes while sitting in Atlanta traffic. Peeps next to me probably thought I was losing it.

  3. Honestly, it is naïve to think that the establishment on either side will allow any kind of “quiet insurrection”, eventually they will look for ways to silence it and force you into the system.

    It already happens with things like forced sewage tie ins, forcing people to tie into the electrical grid, rules on raising any live stock in certain areas, rules on water collection or establishing ponds on property.

    Eventually the regulations will stop and they’ll just come enforce it. Or they will make new rules to make it impossible to do on any kind of small, personal scale.

    Plus the establishment just sees it as a joke. At best they laugh at and deride you, at worst they come down on you with the full force of government.

    I say those who want government go their way, and those of us who don’t go ours. Divide it up. Only problem with that is they’ll never let us go, they need us to support those who want government.

  4. You say defeatism, I say pragmatism. We’ve already hit the iceberg, standing on deck playing music may be soothing, but you’re still going to go down with the ship.

    Thirty, forty years ago, this was probably still a very viable solution, now, I just question it’s chances for overall meaningful, lasting change that will not some day be eroded away by what you are being apathetic towards.

    Even if you don’t use the system, they can and will still find ways to force you into it. Public utilities, the ACA which will eventually evolve into a single payer system, and on and on.

    Just because what might need to pass will be horrific and painful, doesn’t mean that it may not be necessary.

    I believe the answer lies somewhere in between the two extremes of apathy and violence, that we are so far gone at this point, you can’t really have the luxury of one without the bill of the other.

    • Again BE GONE I don’t have time for such nonsense. What type of insurrectionist asks permission to resist. I really can’t help a person with your mindset. BE GONE please.

    • @strensk –

      There are two things that might give you some reason for hope.

      First, the bigger the bureaucracy/system of control, the closer it is to collapse, and the more vulnerable it is to asymmetric forces. For more on this, google ‘global guerrillas’ & read a couple of the books on John Robb’s list.

      Second, history. Reading it gives you a quick reminder that it ISN’T different this time. This period isn’t unique, inevitable, or irreversible.

      As a dumb example of this (so don’t get wrapped around the axle about it.. the establishment is having a cow over Trump.. literally shitting their pants. Does this sound like the actions of an ‘all seeing, all knowing, all powerful’ group? Or a bunch of (truly) powerless little babies?

      just my opinion of course..

  5. I haven’t listened yet, but I can say this: I do not talk about politics. If the conversation leads into that direction the music starts to play in my head and I follow it elsewhere. I am done. It isn’t even worth my breath to say “I don’t want to talk about it”.

  6. I don’t know how you keep doing it but this was the best show I have listened to yet. You articulate all the thoughts in my head about the current situation. The federal government is a follower of the grassroots. The grassroots (supposedly) elect the people in office. The grassroots spend their money with and work for and support the big companies that buy off these politicians. The grassroots choose to grow and eat crap grown with monsanto chemicals that make themselves too lazy to go out and research things and get things done and achieve their dreams.

    It really seems the ONLY way to change things is to join the quiet insurrection. Grow your own food, take responsibility for you and your children’s education, and build community by starting a business that fills a need in that community and aligns with your natural talents. Makes sense to me. Great episode, yet again, Jack

  7. I really needed to hear this today Jack. Nice ride to Ardmore on the Harley and some TSP. Thanks!

    Andy

  8. On the subject of violence, I ran into this quote while perusing my quote file this morning (coincidence?):

    ‘When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.’
     
    – John Lennon

    Violence is what the state does. I imagine it as a giant ego. It MUST have your attention at all times. An arm of the state, the media, is the prime example of this, look how desperately they seek your attention! Ignore them and they die. Fight them and they grow stronger.

    • Ill have to use that quote in the future, it is exactly what I am saying. Violence is where the state is an expert, you never attack where your enemy is strong you attack where they are weak.

  9. This has become one of my favorite episodes, I come back to it over and over, and use it to turn others on to this podcast, silent insurrection is the most apt description of how I have come to live my life, an updated more sustainable version of turn on, tune in, drop out.