Oddbean new post about | logout
 You missed the point. I'm aware of all the shortcomings you mentioned. I don't look to politicians to save me. I engage in politics to do my part, and bring pressure on politicians to do their motherfucking job.

Either you're a Patriot or you're not. Either you love your country or you don't. Maybe you're just a fair weather Patriot. One who's just along for the ride. 

Either you believe in the American dream and want to leave it better than you found it. Or you're just a would-be looter of the value created by others..¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ 
 These are all mental conceptions. There is no such thing as a country. When you look at the world through a satellite, you don’t see America written across the land. You can’t see, touch, taste, smell, or hear a country. Telling me to dedicate myself to a mental conception is no different than dedicating myself to the tooth fairy. They’re both not real things. The only difference is that there are people with guns forcing you to believe in a country called “America.” And the only similarities people share across this “country” is that we are all coerced and ruled by the same group of people that refer to themselves as the “US government.”

I suggest you read the constitution of no authority. Open the link then scroll down and click read now. Keep an open mind. I’d love to know what you think about it. 

https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/spooner-no-treason-no-vi-the-constitution-of-no-authority-1870