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Monday, July 1, 2013

Democracy & Distrust

My friend Nicholas Johnson observes how rapidly what used to be fringe paranoia is moving into the mainstream:
Ballooning scandals at the IRS, government snooping, and the run on ammunition are the main topics of conversation at the range these days. It’s illuminating to hear people outside the chattering class talk about checks and balances, ammo shortages as a barometer of discontent, and looming tyranny. Tyranny especially used to be the cry of black helicopter conspiracy theorists.  It signals something when regular folk will say the word and talk unselfconsciously about how to define it and what to do about it. 

2 comments:

  1. All this talk of tyranny! Why at a college graduation recently said we shouldn't listen to people who talk of tyranny.

    Another reason to be afraid, be very afraid.

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  2. Now we loonies are starting to become mainstream. Sounds good to me.

    Turns out we were right all along.

    And there really are "black" "unmarked" helicopters. The Army has hundreds of them and I used to see them frequently on exercises at Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station.

    Except they are not black and are not unmarked. In direct sunlight, if you get close enough, they are a very dark olive green. And they are marked. With black numbers that are invisible unless the light hits them right.

    Get more than a couple hundred yards away though and they sure do look black.

    John Henry

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