The spirit of 1776 is still alive in America. We see it in the Tea Party, which has forced real changes in Washington.
We also see it in little ways, such as the heroic actions of Jay Beeber, who single-handedly killed dangerous red light cameras in Los Angeles.
But I don’t want to be jingoistic. We also find pockets of rebellion against greedy and thuggish government elsewhere in the world.
So even though I’ve made fun of the English for statism and political correctness, I want to share some encouraging excerpts from a story in the UK-based Telegraph.
Meet the NoTo Mob, a group dedicated to fighting what they see as unfair parking tickets and charges. During the week they’re normal blokes (and the odd woman). …But on Saturdays they come together for a common cause. They follow council CCTV cars, or “spy cars”, then stand nearby holding signs to warn drivers about the presence of a CCTV vehicle and potential fine if they break the rules.Motorists pull over, wave or give the thumbs up in gratitude. Complete strangers have been known to hug them in support.
Freedom Fighters!
Having been victimized by revenue cameras (which inevitably are set up where speed limits are absurdly low), I would gladly hug one of these blokes if they operated in the United States.
These ordinary men and women fully recognize that these cameras are designed to generate more revenue for government, not to promote safety.
The group targets “honey pots” – high-ticket areas with confusing road markings or unclear signs where the CCTV cars are most likely to operate. …The NoTo Mob…feels motorists are being used as cash cows. “I was near a bus lane and asked drivers who pulled over, ‘Did you see that sign?’ They replied, ‘What sign?’ They didn’t realise. They’d have got a fine if they’d driven down it. “It’s exploiting the average motorist, it’s disproportionate and it’s plain wrong. It’s highway robbery.”
Since I’m praising our English cousins, I suppose it’s also appropriate to give credit to the English government for not outlawing the NoToMob.
In the United States, I’m embarrassed to admit, you can get in trouble for warning other motorists about speed traps.
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[…] maybe there’s reason to hope. It wasn’t that long ago that I shared a very encouraging story from England about civil disobedience against a revenue-hungry […]
[…] maybe there’s reason to hope. It wasn’t that long ago that I shared a very encouraging story from England about civil disobedience against a revenue-hungry […]
“Jim Hodge – Allied Home Mortgage have been attacked by lawyers and the liberal press. A self made man of humble means is working hard to restore the jobs lost by these baseless attacks”
At the risk of being naively optimistic, could this perhaps be the beginning of a “No to pitchfork democracy” movement?
The differential benefit if breaking free from today’s western world decline is rising with every passing year. Since cultural evolution and natural selection are relentlessly at work. Someone’s gotta break free sooner or later. Too bad the probabilistic chance of America being the one that does it are rather dismal. So we must also look overseas.
Too bad about the misery of all those extinct branches. Evolution works, but progress in that mode is ruthless. Too bad this immutable fact of nature is the only language voter-lemmings ultimately understand — or inevitably succumb to.