Might Is Right (EP.250)

Introduction

Cancelling and other forms of suppressing free speech, pushing for the President to be elected by the popular vote, and the move to end the filibuster in the US Senate are all examples of the belief that Might is Right. This is the belief that those with more votes, with the bigger guns, with the willingness to be more violent than their opposition, are automatically in the right. 

But when the tables get turned, and they always do, these very same people, facing Might on the other side, will abandon their Might is Right stance, and then claim that Might is Oppression.

That is the subject of today’s 10-minute episode. 

Continuing

This process usually starts out with protesters claiming that those in power are oppressing them and others: Might is Oppression. Cries of “Fascist” and “Nazi” will screech from the mouths of those who cannot accurately define either term, and certainly have no useful or accurate knowledge of the history of either philosophy. Should those protesting against the current system gain power, they will quickly switch to a Might is Right stance. The double irony is that they use the very tactics they cried out against in order to put themselves in power, then double down on these Might is Right tactics and thinking to stay in power.

Another way to claim that might is right is by declaring, “By any means necessary.” Haven’t we heard radical groups state their goals, then declare they will achieve those goals by any means necessary. Out of curiosity, I wonder how many of the by any means necessary proponents did or would have railed against waterboarding, the enhanced interrogation technique used to extract needed information from terrorists. 

The Seattle Chief of Police, Carmen Best, threw in the towel when it comes to protecting property. Citing the City Council’s decision to prohibit the use of, “…less lethal tools, including pepper spray…”, she observes the legislation, “…gives officers NO (emphasis not added) ability to safely intercede to preserve property in the midst of a large, violent crowd.” In other words, if you live in Seattle, your business or personal property, your small business if you have one, your home, car and bicycle, anything tangible, is up for grabs. If the mob wants to either steal or destroy them, it is now official that they can do exactly that. The mob’s “might” has given it the “right” to steal and destroy. Imagine with me if the authorities in Seattle decided to confiscate the rioters’ helmets, shields, expanding batons, commercial grade fireworks and other defensive and offensive weapons, how long it would take for the mob to run crying to the ACLU for relief. All while crying out “Theft by the KKK fascists!” My guess is about five minutes. After the Chief sent her letter to the citizenry, the courts temporarily blocked the city Council’s restrictions on the police. But the radical council remains in power.

Today’s Key Point: One of the core protections guaranteed to us in America is the protection against the tyranny of the majority. That is why we have the Electoral College. The 50 United States have very different needs, wants and interests. What is best for California may be completely unwanted in, say, South Dakota. That is precisely why Wyoming and the Dakotas are entitled to the same number of Senators as California, New York and Texas. Conversely, the House of Representatives is apportioned by population, with the 435 Representatives assigned as a percentage of the total US population. Each state has electors totalling the number of its Representatives plus its 2 Senators. For example, Colorado has 9 Electors; 7 Representatives and 2 Senators. The Electoral College is designed to protect the smaller states from the popular vote tranny of the larger states. Inside each state, the popular vote picks the electors; the presidential candidate with 270 or more electoral votes wins. This is just another part of the genius of our founding documents. 

There is a major push by some to either eliminate or bypass the Electoral College and have the popular vote elect the president. Waving the flag of democracy, the rule of the majority, these people and groups want to do away with this key protection for the minority. And they will push for it as hard as they can, at least until they become the minority. Their bet is that they never will be in the minority–and that by eliminating the Electoral College,  there will never again be a Republican president.

The same thing is playing out in the US Senate. The filibuster (cloture) rule means that it takes 60 votes to force a vote on any issue; 41 senators can block the issue from coming to a vote. This protection for the minority has worked well for a very long time. It will be changed as soon as one party or the other believes it has an unassailable and lasting majority in the upper chamber. Might is Right. And the very same party will work to change the filibuster rule back if they get surprised and lose the majority that gave them the “courage” to eliminate this protection for the minority. Might is Right will instantly change to Might is Oppression. Of course there will be an attempt to explain the changing positions in some noble way, but the bottom line explanation is they will believe Might is Right–as long as they have the Might. And they will believe that Might is Oppression if the other side becomes stronger.

School Choice, or lack thereof, is another example. Many political leaders oppose school choice while sending their children to private schools. Why do they do that? Because they can. Among this crowd of hypocrites we have Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Elizbeth Warren. And before them, Barack Obama. All of them have sent their children to private schools to get a superior education, to get a head start in life, while denying that same advantage to those with lesser means. For now at least, they have the power to do that, the power to deny free and plentiful choice in charter schools and any affordable choice at all with private schools. They are making impassioned speeches about the need to save education by increasing funding to failing public schools, while significantly restricting access to charter schools, and making it all but impossible for the children of less well off parents to send their children to the very same private schools they arranged to have their kids attend. If you are looking for systemic discrimination, look no further. 

We can easily see how they can do this; they have the power, the might. But why on earth would they do something so obviously and completely unfair? Simple; to keep getting re-elected. They depend on the voting and funding power of the teacher’s unions, and sell kids, their families and our society down the river to keep their jobs. The moment that We The People wake up and realize then demonstrate that we have more voting and funding power than these public unions, all of a sudden, they will have a new revelation about what is right in pre K-12 education.

Tell me what you believe. I and many others want to know. 

As always, whatever you do, do it in love. Without love, anything we do is empty. 

Contact

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Will Luden, coming to you from 7,200’ in Colorado Springs.