And so it begins...

And so it begins...
by Jim Parshall

People are Idiots! Pretty harsh words, huh? Well, they should be. It should make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It should arouse a bit of indignation. Alas, in many people it won’t. Why? Because they are so used to being told what to think and what to do that they don’t even know when they are being assaulted.

Forces in our world are racing to make the perfect citizen. One who will not complain, will not make “trouble”, and will be satisfied with what “they” tell them. George Orwell wrote a book years ago called 1984 which lays out a society completely controlled by media and government. We, increasingly, live in that type of world. People blindly accept what the media puts forth as though it were golden nuggets from God. They don’t even bother to get facts for themselves on items politicians say and figure it is not importantor at least not important to them. Bah!

Awake! Awake! Awake, ye masses of humanity!

Thus, you now know the meaning of this column. It is not a “hit piece” or a “slam-fest”. No, it is meant to rouse people up from the slumber in which they go through life. To push, excite, entertain and challenge the public mind are my goals. To illustrate, there is a great quote in “Starship Troopers” where Mr. Jean Rasczak tells Johnny Rico, “Figuring things out for yourself is the only freedom anyone really has. Use that freedom.” I could not say it better myself.

We will explore a variety of topics. Taxes will be there, as will government. The media holds a special place—as do politicians. No one will be safe. No idea will be untouchable. No premise will be taken for granted.

And if you, the reader, do not agree with me—great! Go and get the facts yourselves and pursue a contrary course to mine. The world thrives on discussion and if you might add to that discussion then by all means do. However, do not think that raising one's voice or getting angry makes the point stronger. It does not and certainly holds no sway with me.

Ok, enough about what the column is to be, I would like to explain a bit about myself.

Jeremy (the managing editor of TAP) likes to call me Captain Caveat. I think that is ok. I don’t find it hard to take a position on a topic, but, sometimes, I might change my mind after being set on a position for a long time. A perfect example is the death penalty. After years of being for it, I am now against it. I have come to realize that it is a problem in logic. Killing people is wrong and must be punished so we punish by killing people. It is illogical. It is contradictory. Thus, after years of championing this cause, I trade sides. Such is life for Captain Caveat.

In the coming weeks we will cover a variety of topics—here are some of them: Taxes, our rights as human beings, privacy, computers, the Microsoft lawsuit, politics and politicians, and perhaps even things you suggest. Send me something to investigate and I will perhaps write about it. See something you think needs to be put in the “light.” Then by all means let me know about it. Write to me at jim@american-partisan.com.

Lastly, I am excited to be here. This is a great group of people and I hope to make a positive contribution to this publication. Thanks for reading my column and I look forward to speaking with you again next week.