Paul's Passing Thoughts

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One of the most fantastic stories of American history is the newsboy strike of 1899. It is glaring testimony to the real reality of government or business; when it gets right down to it; the people rule if they want to. America was merely designed after this reality; the people always outnumber the governing authorities and there is no government without people. You can kill everyone, or too many, which would leave the governing authorities to do their own work and cook their own meals. Trust me, they don’t want to. The founding fathers of America recognized this and that’s why we are a “representative republic.”

Look at what we plainly have going on in our day: the Democrats and Republicans alike are not representing what the people want; obviously, as the elitist experts, they know what’s best for the people who pay their salaries. Congressman and Senators are attorneys who represent people, not rulers over the people or experts that know better than people what people need or want. Observe the obvious: those who work for us are the judges as to whether we got it right or not. More frightening yet, law enforcement is in on it and setting out to jail those who truly represent the people.

The world and reality are designed around the individual, and institutions are for the express purpose of facilitating that reality and that’s just plain reality. Governments are always the result of the people’s will whether that will is the result of being deceived or lazy thinking. During WWII, civilians were held responsible for the actions of their government, and rightfully so. The world would be a better place if that continued.

Houston, we have a problem; someone who truly represents the will of the people, Donald Trump, is in office and all hell is breaking loose. This goes to show we have been fooling ourselves for a lot of years. America hasn’t been functioning like a representative republic for a long time. And by the way, America is not a democracy. Of course, the elitist ruling class who now dominate our government would love a democracy complete with elections being determined by the popular vote. This would not be equal representation, it would mean the West coast and East coast elitist politicians would obtain complete control of America. Middle America would be told what to eat, what to drive, where to work, how to talk, and whatever else you would like to add to the list. Don’t forget anything; it would be comprehensive control.

The newsboy strike of 1899 demonstrates all of the above points and mirrors what is going on in the present-day government shutdown. Once upon a time, newspapers depended on children to distribute their newspapers. These children were little more than street urchins. Mostly from poor immigrant families, and oftentimes homeless or orphaned, they lived and survived by the cruel laws of the streets.

Yet, overall, they represented one of two humanity camps; the individualist with self-respect and the courage to be free versus the collectivist who believes humanity must be mothered and taken care of by an elitist class. The newsboys lived by their own reality; the reality that worked for them. Their demand for fairness and justice was directly linked to their self dignity. They would swallow no food if it meant swallowing injustice along with it. Don’t be too quick to judge all the homeless, they are often homeless because they won’t play the game.

The deal went something like this. The newsboys (and girls) bought newspapers from the companies of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst for 50 cents per hundred. The amount of papers they sold on the streets of New York for a 50% profit margin determined what they would make. So, these children needed to have a significant degree of business acumen. They would have to plan in order to have money to buy more papers to resell. And, whatever they didn’t sell, they owned, so many would have to work late into the night in order to not lose money and then get up for school the next morning if they went to school. They would also have to possess ability to project sales in order to stay in business. They were child business owners.

Then came the Spanish-American War which promised to greatly increase sales. And, what then, was the thinking of Hearst and Pulitzer? Something like this: “Hey, since you guys are going to be selling more papers, we are going to increase what you pay for the papers.” The price was raised to 60 cents per hundred while the price of the paper was not raised. This meant the newsboys were going to be working harder for the same amount of money while being the engine that would greatly increase sales for Hearst and Pulitzer during the war. As always the case with elitists, Hearst and Pulitzer were surprised that the little street urchins saw it for the bad deal that it was. The newsboys went on strike.

This is another thing that the newsboys realized; shutting down newspaper circulation during that time was a huge deal. In our day, it would be literally like shutting down the internet and cellphone towers. During the strike, circulation for the New York World dropped from about 360,000 papers to 125,000. Eventually, mere children brought two elitist icons to their knees.

Adult businessmen and politicians had managed to organize a union for the newsboys, but had a limited grip on what the newsboys did. Their primary leader was a thirteen-year-old named “Kid Blink” who only had one eye and wore an eyepatch. His speech before a rally during the strike attended by 6000 newsboys is instructive for Donald Trump and Republicans in general during our present government shutdown:

Friens and feller workers: Dis is a time which tries de hearts of men–dis is de time when we’re got to stick togedder like glue! But der’s one ting I want ter say before I goes any furder. I don’t believe in gettin’ no feller’s papers from him and tearin’ ’em up. I know I done it. (Cries of “You bet you did!”) But I’m sorry fer it.

No! der ain’t nuttin in dat. We know wot we wants and we’ll git it, even if we is blind. Dem 10 cents is as good ter us as to de millionaires–maybe better. I shouldn’t be surprised but that it’s as good as a quarter is to dem. Anyway, we wants it. And we’ll strike and restrike until we get it. Won’t we boys? (Cries of “Yes! Yes!”)

But don’t lets stop no more poor driver and dump over der wagons, like we done in Madison st. de odder day. I know I was one. (“You bet you was!”) Let’s not do it no more. Say, will we, boys? (“No! No!”) Say, you remember dat day in Wall-st., when the gents trun money to us and tole us to buy decent papers? You remember, say, don’t you boys? (“Yes! Yes!”) Dat’s all right, but, say, don’t lets hurt no more poor drivers. We won de fight in 1893. We ought to win in 1899. Oughtn’t we, boys? (“Yes! Yes!”)

Youse all know me, boys, don’t you? We’ll stick togedder like plaster, won’t we, boys?

The newsboys held fast, and forced Hearst and Pulitzer to the bargaining table that resulted in a compromise, but not before they attempted to destroy the leader of the strike, Kid Blink, by spreading false rumors about him. Sound familiar? Hearst and Pulitzer agreed to buy back all unsold papers while the 60 cent charge per hundred remained until the end of the war. The newsboys held out in the face of literal starvation, but got a “good deal.” A just deal.

That’s the way it will always work because reality is about the individual, not the collective. Strong individuals make a strong collective, not the other way around. Listening to the propaganda of the elitist ruling class filled with control lust results in every third-world hellhole we see in our day.

Collectivism will not work. Americans can keep kicking the can of individualism down the road, but as always, it will eventually end in a revolution of some sort. We can pay freedom now, or later.

Donald Trump needs to learn from Kid Blink, don’t blink, freedom will demand payment now or later.

paul

I started writing for this blog in 2009 and have written well over 3000 articles; this is the first one on abortion. The enormity of an issue has never compelled me to write about it. However, of late, I have a few thoughts about it that I want to put down in writing.

“Freedom to choose.” There it is again, that freedom word. As the saying goes, “Always follow the money,” and that is fine, but in addition, never fail to follow the freedom, especially when the very word is being used in the discussion.

I suppose readers of this blog tire of seeing my continued emphasis on the essence of sin; viz, sin is an entity driven by the desire to enslave and control. Key to sin’s ability to do that is condemnation. If you are condemned, you are deemed unworthy by yourself and others and readily concede that you must be a follower. Sin is described in the Bible as an animal that crouches in wait for its prey to fail, and its hunting ground is enriched by law, civil law, God’s law, conscience, and the judgments of others.

The Bible also states that when condemnation is taken away, sin is disarmed. Sin is the epic slave master who comes offering freedom as a rouse to enslave. Sin always uses an offer of freedom to lead individuals into the condemnation trap. Whether a bear cage, raccoon cage, or minnow cage, it’s baited with freedom.

Most governments have a sin problem. By virtue of how societies work, the populous greatly outnumber those who make up government authority. Without the people there is no government, to begin with, but if the majority of any given populous stand against the government they are powerless to do anything about it. So, governments are always looking for ways to maintain control and seek to do this on many different levels.

Abortion is one of the many ways of doing so. There is strength in numbers, so keeping population down makes any given society easier to control. The following point is often made as well: “How many people who might have lived to invent a cure for cancer have been wiped out through abortion?” Indeed, but a cure for cancer is only one point among myriads of others that speak to benefiting humanity, not to mention great thinkers who may have greatly empowered individualism. How many James Madison types et al. didn’t make it out of the womb? Meanwhile, sin is hard at work offering freedom to those who do make it out of the womb as a way to enslave them.

I wonder if there is a greater example than the feminist movement: finding freedom through being somebody else that you aren’t; how much sense does that make? I owe this thought to Tucker Carlson. Women ought to be empowered by being who they are rather than the opposite. Rather than recognizing that women can do many things men cannot do, we have women trying to be more like men. Does this not concede to the ancient draconian view that women are inferior?

Hence, in many cases, the power and ability to bring life into the world is rejected in the name of freedom. Yes, laws against abortion are just another ploy by the evil man-driven world to enslave women. And rather than focus on the moral aspect of abortion specifically, let me focus on the theme of this post: in most cases, abortion does lead to self-condemnation via personal conscience.

And then sin pounces.

This can also be applied to any mentality that doesn’t embrace who we are individually in the name of being free from who we are. Wellbeing comes from embracing who we are as created individuals and making the best of it thereof. Wellbeing comes from being the best us.

Sin is a clever entity. It uses both law and sin to enslave in the name of freedom leading to slavery. Beware of government laws whether seemingly moral or liberal; either one can lead to slavery. What is lawful may not be expedient to your self-image, but may rather lead to self-condemnation by catering to errant desires.

…and then sin pounces.

paul