Dear Friends and Patriots,

I believe we’ve all heard that old statement of fact. I will spare you the entire quote. You know it! But have you ever thought about what it truly means? I have. Admittedly, since I retired from the active labor force, I have too much idle time on my hands, so I can dedicate myself to objectives like deciphering such odd and semi-humorous statements. After all…they must mean something, right?

Caution!…this discussion will go to places you won’t imagine. Be prepared!

The most polite answer to the question has to do with personal autonomy. The first two parts of the adage acknowledge one’s own autonomy—the right to choose one’s associates, and one’s personal body autonomy. The third part is an admonition that one never has the right to intrude into the personal or body autonomy of another. That sort of makes sense, right? Substitute “space” for “autonomy” if you’re having difficulty at this point.

That “most polite” answer is the one most people accept, even if only partially. Why only partially? Because in the public and political spheres of today, we don’t pay any heed at all to that old saw.

This is the point where I make a universal declaration. I won’t say it’s universally true, because I can’t. But, because I believe it’s true, I’ll state it: Everything today is politicized. Everything.

Once any subject has been politicized it’s subjected to all kinds of forces that seem odd and contrary. What was accepted as truth in former times is no longer, because once something is politicized there are teams that form on every possible side of any argument. The subject of autonomy is one of those. And, it’s a “biggie,” too.

You can still pick your friends. Yes, that’s largely true, even if that’s politicized today. You can still pick them, but you’ll reap either rewards or punishment no matter who you choose. "You are known by the company you keep.” Never forget that. In this maximally politicized and highly polarized world, your company defines you. Make sure you understand that. Choose your friends with care.

You can still pick your nose. BUT NOT IN PUBLIC! You should use a bit of courtesy and discretion about such things. As a general rule you can do anything you want to or with your own body, mind, and soul, but there are certain norms of society that just make sense to heed. If you want to use drugs, who can stop you? But if you want to shoot up while sitting on the curb in front of a city courthouse, be prepared for people who will intercede. You have full self-autonomy, but not in all instances. The "Where?" when exercising your autonomy is often far more important than what you intend to do. There are countless things you “could” do that might result in a jail sentence. Even as an almost-lifelong libertarian I’ll say, “What you do in your own home is your business, but if what you’re doing crosses my own boundaries, then it becomes mine, too. If it offends me and I can push you back, I will.” I think that’s reasonable. Do you? Is there any reason to linger on this point?

The big change in society since everything became politicized is exemplified by today’s reality concerning the third part of that old saw I’m examining. The, “… but you can’t pick your friend’s nose” part. That’s no longer true. Technology makes it possible to pick your friend’s nose. You can almost totally erase all of your friend’s autonomy, if you know how. I’m 100% certain most governments in the world today know how, and many are doing it to countless of their citizens at this very moment. Are you following me?

Governments are alike in one sense, regardless of the type of government being examined. All governments want to continue in their power and authority. No government that I’ve known of ever shut down willfully. They’ve been replaced by revolutions and coups. They’ve been replaced by popular demand. They’ve been replaced by conquest. But none I’ve ever heard of voluntarily walked away and dissolved itself. What do most of them do instead?

Most governments that have existed have incrementally grown in power and scope. They’ll do that until some event of force or will causes them to be replaced. It’s axiomatic. Governments grow, and after a time they become unaccountable to any outside influence. Once accountability is lost, a government will take on all the aspects of living creatures, especially with respect to the needs for security, growth, and sustenance.

Check out a diagram of Dr. Abraham Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Human Needs pyramid. What’s on the bottom? Security. What does that mean in the context of this discussion? It means, once a government grows to the point of unaccountability and has taken on lifelike traits, it will create mechanisms to protect itself from all perceived threats. This is where technology comes in.

Today, governments have the ability to listen-in every time we speak into any telephone. They can read all our E-mails. They can intercept all our snail mail. They can monitor and record all aspects of use of the electromagnetic spectrum. They can monitor all the outputs of any SMART device—even that ROOMBA that’s mapping out your home. They have all of our vital records at their fingertips—even your full medical files. They have software that maps all the information they gather so they know everyone you talk to and how often. They know who you’re related to. They know the books you read, how much money you have in checking and savings, where you prefer to shop, and they most definitely know every click or key-stroke you enter while in any social media program. Governments have adopted the very modern belief that they need to know as much about everyone as is possible. Today that’s…almost everything except your most random thoughts. And, yes, they’re hard at work trying to figure that out, too. Why do they do all this? Because the unaccountable government now has the technological means to ensure it stays unaccountable, and in full charge of…US.

Today, there is no government of any nation that rules its population according to the will of its people. Instead, it is WE who are ruled, and we’re ruled according to the needs of all-powerful governments. That security thing that governments do now…that’s meant to make sure we have no power to displace and replace them. They are not our servants. We are theirs.

Once you understand the government in terms of a living entity and accept that Maslow’s Needs are being met, and you accept that the most basic needs of the government is its own security, you should have no problem with the other two needs—growth and sustenance.

Growth is easy to explain and understand. All living beings grow. Nothing starts out fully mature. Governments do the same thing. They start out basic enough—just doing what they think is absolutely necessary or can afford. But, after a time all governments will seek other things to do. They’ll either create those other things or seemingly accede to popular demand and declare that new things are now part of their portfolio of responsibilities. Eventually, all governments come to the point of understanding that people will cede their autonomy if they are promised something for…nothing. That’s where the “welfare” mindset comes into play. The government “buys” people’s autonomy from them and makes them march to government music. Many people seem to like the “free ride,” not comprehending that they’ve sold their autonomy for a very cheap price. The ”earning” class of citizens are targeted by “incentives.” “Just do this thing here and your government will show its appreciation by giving you a tax break.” With what? How do they create that reward? They simply take it from us. Not from the “welfare class.” Those people are considered useful tools and somewhat useful idiots when the government needs to point to all the “good” it does since it’s grown so vast and powerful. No, they pay by taking the money and/or property of the rest of society—those who produce and pay taxes. We pay for our own tax breaks, our own incentives. The governments in most countries produce nothing at all, they merely redistribute assets among all their subjects. The more this game is played, the more justification government creates for its unquenchable thirst for growth.

Sustenance is likewise easy to comprehend. That’s provided by us. In western countries there’s a generalized pretention to freedom that isn’t real at all. We think of ourselves as free, but it’s only an illusion. Once the government has grown past the point of accountability, we, the taxpayers, are little but mechanisms used to sustain the beast we’ve allowed to grow. Bit by bit the government will take all personal freedoms and rights. We agree to it, too. The objective is clear to anyone willing to see. All effort and all assets are subject to confiscation by the government. You think you own your house? Really? Then, why are you taxed on it every single year you live there? What happens if you don’t pay those taxes? It’s just true that taxation places a lien on any property you owe, until you pay. Then the new lien period starts to accrue on the very next day. Did you ever examine a modern property deed? When you do, you’ll discover in most cases the “owner” of the deed is described with it as a “Tenant.” That’s validation of the truth that your claims are only good as long as your government finds it to their convenience.

In truth, Klaus Schwab’s declaration “You will own nothing, and you’ll be happy!” is already true. We truly own nothing that the government can’t confiscate. If we want to insist we’re happy…then old Klaus is a prophet of our present, not of our future. And, all that is due to one thing only—the government beast is ravenous and it demands to be fed. Our job in life is to keep it at bay by feeding it regularly and well. In return, we are allowed to pretend we are free, that we have rights, and that we own things.

Now, what do our governments do now that they’re living, breathing entities? They pick the noses of anyone they want. Most of the time none of us can do a single thing about it. Such is the nature of our slavery.

Privacy is now just an old myth. Autonomy is an old myth. Freedom and liberty—just outdated myths. They are no longer relevant. Today, in a world where governments can know anything they want about you within seconds, your privacy is gone and your autonomy is entirely subjected to the will of your government. Your freedom is an illusion. And, yes…it’s true…you may not be able to pick your friend’s nose, but both yours and theirs are being picked every day.

And we allow it all.

In (Dubious) Liberty,

Steve