In Politics, There Is No Murder

Column by Bob Wallace.

Exclusive to STR
There are other writers who have everything: Shakespeare and Doestoevsky, for two examples.  But who reads them anymore?  What was it that Mark Twain said?  Something about "a classic is something that everybody wants to read and nobody has read."  I understand his point. Shakespeare, superb stylist that he is, is incomprehensible for most people.  Doestoevky is much too dark and depressing.
But Dumas! Now that's another story!  The Count of Monte Cristo has probably been the most influential novel, ever.  Name a popular writer, and that book has probably influenced him: Zane Grey, Alfred Bester, Mickey Spillane, John D. MacDonald.
The hero (no, that's not true: he's the anti-hero) is Edmond Dantes', who ends up at the age of 18 being falsely imprisoned for life on the basis of false and envious accusations of a political nature.  He doesn't escape until he's over 30, and spends his life wreaking havoc on those who have wronged him.  Hmm, satisfying!  Who cannot sympathize, just as most can sympathize with Dantes' modern descendent: Batman.  Then there's my favorite: the Clint Eastwood movie, “The Outlaw Josey Wales.”
Not only is there no murder, there are no lies, no theft.  Politics is the Ten Commandments written by Satan and turned inside out.
Contrary to the delusions of many people, no country is the friend of another country.  They can be temporary allies; one day they can be allies; a week later, mortal enemies.  For an example, the Soviet Union was our ally against Germany during World War II, but within weeks after the war, they had become our mortal enemy, for some 50 years.
One thing that Dumas' does not point out is that the interests of countries are based not on what's best for the people, but instead on what the rulers want. None of those interests are in the interests of the people of the U.S.
“Voice or no voice," said Nazi Minister of Propaganda Hermann Goring during the Nuremberg trials, "the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.  That is easy.  All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.  It works the same in any country.”
I don't see how we can get rid of politics (oh, if only we could!), but at least the wise understand the true nature of it: citizens are mostly Sheep, to do the bidding of the Foxes and Lions.  The Sheep are never murdered by the Foxes and Lions; they are merely bad ideas, obstacles to be removed, if they threaten the interests of the rulers.
In my life I have found I've learned more from myths, fairy tales, fables and novels such as The Count of Monte Cristo than I have from the overweight and boring books written by Ph.D.s, who hurl them at the public from universities.  It doesn't matter if they're from Harvard or Yale or Princeton; those people, the ironically named "the Best and the Brightest," are the ones who got us into Vietnam, and are now in the process of starting World War III.  The world would be better off without 90% of the "intellectuals" who spew bad ideas all over us.
You can't ask more from a bunch of words than that.

Your rating: None
Bob Wallace's picture
Columns on STR: 89


Paul's picture

Excellent article, Bob.

I might take issue of the analogy of people with sheep, lions and foxes, though. Usually, real sheep are not armed. Those you call "sheeple" certainly are armed.

I think it is more like this: ordinary people are just concerned with the issues of their own lives, mostly. They are riled up by propagandists now and then, and parasitized by the ruling class. They put up with it as long as they are able, much as one puts up with mosquitos. But when they can't put up with such parasites any more, they go out and drain the swamp.

I think this analogy makes a lot more sense. No herd of sheep ever rebelled against any farmer.

Oh, and our ruling class are not to be exalted as lions or foxes, either. They are mosquitos, bed bugs, lice, tape worms.