First They Came for Our History...

Even in the best of times, government is not your friend.

J.B. Shurk | September 27, 2026

Government is not your friend.  It cares about its own preservation, not yours.  That’s why citizens who resist the government’s authority are tried for treason, while governments that resist the people’s authority award themselves immunity.  Ostensibly, governments are formed to protect the lives and liberties of citizens.  In practice, governments sacrifice their citizens’ lives and liberties whenever expedient (see, e.g., open borders and mass migration, COVID lockdowns and experimental “vaccines” that are neither safe nor effective, the “global warming” hoax and “green energy”-induced inflation, and the reckless European push for WWIII against the Russian Federation).

Over the course of human history, there have been “good” governments — which is to say, there have been governments remembered more for their accomplishments than for their crimes or failures.  Even those governments included venal, mendacious, immoral, and outright murderous officials among their ranks.  But when the right historical conditions arise — when the ingredients of culture, virtue, legal tradition, and circumstance come together — governments are remembered for leading their countries through calamity, war, depression, and heartbreak.  

Every once in a while, governments accomplish something that inspires not only citizens but also people around the world.  When kings, presidents, or prime ministers unite their countrymen in common cause — whether that be resisting Nazi conquest or voyaging to the moon — their governments are often remembered as “good.”  Governments that conjure dreams for their people to pursue are sometimes even remembered as “great.”  But for every Camelot, there are a hundred Iron Curtains.  Both dreams and nightmares spring from the same place: a government’s “best intentions.”

As Americans, we used to know this.  Our schools taught young students about the political virtues of our Founding Fathers.  Our towns celebrated personal freedom and condemned government tyranny.  Local self-government allowed every citizen’s voice to be heard, while regulation and bureaucracy were widely........

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