The Methods of Domination The goal of power acting through the State is to increase its domination of society. This requires aggression against society which the citizens may at some point resist, often because of the economic burdens imposed to support power. Power does nothing economically productive - it is a parasite. There is an incentive to fool the people, who greatly outnumber the power elite. There are incentives to improve the technology of domination and to raise the costs for citizens to mobilize any resistance. A few of the many means of domination are listed:
a.. Direct, raw violence perpetrated by the State b.. Onerous laws and laws so complex that no one can understand - you are never safe from "breaking" the laws, so numerous you cannot possibly be cognizant of them c.. Inculcate "ignorance of the law is no excuse" d.. Make public examples of lawbreakers by delay of justice or by issuing long sentences e.. Arbitrary imprisonment of innocents to make people afraid of power f.. Random and capricious police violence to induce fear in the people g.. Propaganda, lies and censorship h.. Concealment of true aims, actions and results thereof i.. Control of education to mold the minds of youth j.. Break up families by creating dependency on State welfare and public education k.. Spy on dissidents - install nationwide surveillance l.. Inculcate obedience as a primary virtue m.. Raise false fears and pretend to mitigate them (e.g., color-coded "alerts") n.. Conflate the State with country and love of country o.. Appeal to popular values like equality, universal health care, "no child left behind" p.. Make side payments to key individuals or segments of population to create belief in a "free lunch" q.. Spread the false belief that the subjects control the State, own it or are the State, and that the president or leader is hired by the voters r.. Pursuant to existing statutory National Emergency Powers of the President, delegate to him the authority to seize property, organize and control the means of production, seize commodities, restrict travel, take control of the stock exchange and more .. s.. Take control of necessary goods and services that empower the State to deliver essential needs t.. Rely on public apathy to maintain obedience u.. Use compulsory public education as tool of conditioning v.. Exaggerate government role in fulfilling needs of individuals and society w.. Disarm the populace x.. Increase ignorance and gullibility of the citizenry y.. Portray State as crucial to society and order and security z.. Conceal the costs of government aa.. Conceal the facts and effects of government interventions ab.. Portray State as an up-lifter of mankind, savior of the masses and downtrodden ac.. Spread false belief that State speaks and acts on behalf of and for the people ad.. Spread belief that State agents have been hired by the people to do a job ae.. Absorb or co-opt creative power centers in society af.. Divide and rule - create factions and communal disharmony ag.. Use payoffs and favors of all sorts to keep people quiet, to create obligations, to blackmail (see, e.g., Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man) ah.. Inculcate the conditioning that it is social duty to accept State dictates even when you disagree, that majority rules - sometimes you get your way, sometimes the other guy gets his way - but we're all one country, all in it together ai.. Suppress speech and communication (partly through threat of pervasive surveillance) aj.. Enlist, co-opt and corrupt the press - buy them if necessary ak.. Bestow public honors on those who serve the State agenda al.. Distract public attention with falsified reports of external threat am.. Distract the public with a culture of "bread and circuses" an.. Bureaucratic impediments of access to the truth ao.. Executive orders that allow State seizure of private property ap.. Executive Orders that legalize corporate collusion with government and concealment of records thereof aq.. The catalog of evil is so long, all-pervasive and continuous, one could not finish it by writing to the end of his days... http://www.lewrockwell.com/knaebel/knaebel19.html [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
