Truth Over Tyranny: Biblical wisdom for defeating the Technocrats.
These are my insights for defeating the Transhumanist Technocracy movement, based on the teachings of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, on the weekly Bible portion.
The recently-concluded DNC convention gave us a good example of the double-speak tyrannical regimes use to coerce the compliance of the population. They know we yearn for freedom from their own abuses of power; yet they have the gall to declare that they will be the ones to redeem us. We just have to buy into their re-definition of the word.
Stephen Soukup of American Greatness offers a fine description of how today’s progressives are carrying on the centuries-old leftist tradition of disguising their totalitarian designs in fake moral proclamations. Here are some highlights:
“To hear the mainstream media tell the story, the just-finished Democratic National Convention was not just about ‘reintroducing’ Kamala Harris to the American people, but about reintroducing the Democratic Party as well. While Americans might have been convinced by nefarious MAGAs and other nogoodniks that the Democrats want to control their lives and tell them what to think, what to drive, what to eat, and how to behave in countless other facets of their lives, the truth is that the Democrats are the party of ‘freedom.’ They—and they alone—stand between the nation and the totalitarianism of the Right…
“NBC News, for example, noted in response to Minnesota governor (and vice presidential nominee) Tim Walz’s convention speech that he “capped off the third day of his party’s convention, touting his vision of ‘freedom’ and excoriating the GOP.’ The Washington Post, for its part, suggested that the entire theme of the convention was to modify ‘Democrats’ message from ‘democracy’ to ‘freedom.’” Harris, the paper wrote, ‘has shifted the focus, speaking far less about democracy and far more about freedom.’ The independent journalist Matt Taibbi, himself, at least nominally a man of the left, lamented the Democrats’ “sinister rebrand of ‘Freedom’” and argued that ‘freedom’ was ‘was right up there with ‘joy’ and ‘unity’ as key themes” of the convention, which he concluded ‘was not funny…’
“Nevertheless, to understand what is going on here and why the Democrats think they can make the case that they are the party of freedom, it is important to recognize that none of this is technically a ‘rebrand.’ None of this is, in any way, new. Indeed, it is foundational to the ideology of the left. For nearly three centuries now, that which we know today as leftism has portrayed itself in precisely the sense that the Democrats portrayed themselves this week: the true and exclusive guarantors of freedom…
“This is nuts, of course, but it has been deemed ‘profound’ by leftist leaders for the last quarter-millennium, from the Jacobins to the Utopian Socialists, from Marx to Lenin, from Ely, Wilson, and the American Progressives to today’s Obama-led Democrats. To them, its profundity is derived from the fact that it empowers small and radical factions to govern as if they possess a mandate from the entire population. As if the ‘general will’ of the people exclusively guides their actions. Additionally—and, perhaps, more to the point—this idea allows them to do whatever they feel is necessary in defense of the general will. If the general will demands the usurpation of the power of the people in the name of ‘democracy,’ for example, then so be it. If it demands the suppression of speech to forestall the spread of ‘disinformation,’ then so be it. If it demands that the state lock you in your house, force vaccines on you, and make you wear a mask, even when you’re alone, then so be that as well. Such is the price of ‘freedom.’ And anyone who objects, as Rousseau himself recommended, should be dealt with fiercely, as a genuine enemy of the people…
“To Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, objecting to abortion on demand or questioning the ethics of IVF is freedom-denying, anti-social behavior. Objecting to the American efforts to prolong the war between Russia and Ukraine is freedom-denying, anti-social behavior. Pricing groceries at costs commensurate with producer price increases is freedom-denying, anti-social behavior. At various places and at various times in the last century, being a business owner was anti-social behavior, being an educator was anti-social behavior, having a college degree was anti-social behavior, being Hmong was anti-social behavior, and, of course, being Jewish was anti-social behavior.
“To be sure, there are obvious, important, and inarguable differences in the various uses and abuses of the ‘general will’ by those who profess to believe in its virtue. Moreover, just because one (or a few, or even an entire society) professes such a belief, that doesn’t mean that mass murder and genocide will be the inevitable result. Such things are, mercifully, incredibly rare and depend on a great deal more than just a belief in the Rousseauian general will.
“Still, that one idea has wreaked a great deal of havoc in the last 250 years and, unfortunately, continues to do so today.
“So…enjoy your freedom, but only to do as you’re told. It’s for your own good, after all.”
https://amgreatness.com/2024/08/24/harris-walz-and-a-peculiar-definition-of-freedom/
It becomes clear that when they say “freedom,” they mean “slavery:” each individual conforms to the will of the collective – which, of course, they dictate.
Those of us who treasure freedom as a gift from God — and not some general ideal to be co-opted by people who lust for power — can easily see through this charade. And we have to remain vigilant against attempts by government officials to rob us of this legacy.
Here is a reminder from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks to do just that:
“A free political order is possible only when the fundamental political act is a mutual promise between governor and governed. But no human being can be trusted to keep his or her word when he or she has access to power – a power not available to opponents. Sooner or later, if not in the lifetime of the ruler, then in that of his or her descendants, there is an inescapable risk of tyranny. Freedom can only be guaranteed in a political system where the constitutional sovereign is God himself, where he has sought and obtained the free consent of the governed, and where he has bound himself to respect human freedom.”
https://rabbisacks.org/quotes/respect-human-freedom/