The Freemen

I have read a captivating novel, The Last of the Freemen, by Carl Trotz (his blog can be found here).  From the Amazon description of the novel:

In a future America, trapped under a brutal and corrupt regime, Erin Gordon becomes a target for reasons beyond her control. Help comes to her from an unlikely source, as her neighbors - the secretive, agrarian descendants of suppressed medieval freemen - prove willing and able to intervene. Accepting their protection, she witnesses a people - unbeknownst to the world - who hold stubbornly to their traditions, and remain defiant in the face of modern tyranny.

The author, Carl Trotz, weaves together many themes and narratives that we find ourselves discussing and otherwise dealing with daily – some already in place and others feared to come.

The aforementioned Erin Gordon’s unlikely source of help is an individual named Harm.  In many ways, he might be compared to Ayn Rand’s John Galt.  Both characters are larger than life.  Both offer an intellectual and philosophical wisdom, combined with physical action.  In Galt’s case, the intellectual and philosophical attributes are much further developed by Rand.  In Harm’s case, let’s just say you better bring an army (no, bigger) and know where to look (good luck). 

I plan to write two posts regarding this novel.  In the second, I will explore two topics: The Stellinga and Thomas Müntzer – both referenced in the novel, both I find of interest.

In this post, I will offer the themes and narratives woven together by Trotz into this tale.  From this, I hope to convey a sense of the breadth of the work.  The following might seem somewhat dry; believe me, the novel turns all of this to life.

The Government

·        False flags abound: government-paid thugs create fear in the population in order to increase support for the government.  Shockingly, the government is never able to catch them!

·        Anti-government graffiti is removed immediately; graffiti advancing the government-paid thugs for some reason always remains.

·        The Feds override local police; there are numerous random checkpoints.  License plate scanners, drones and satellites are employed for monitoring and tracking.  Convoys of armored vehicles are a regular sight.

·        Loyalty Counselors ensure compliance.

·        The news is the government’s public relations department; controlled opposition is offered.

·        The government doesn’t have to prove your guilt – you have to prove your innocence.

·        Currency manipulation, money printing, and devaluation funds it all.

·        Guns are illegal.

·        Social workers check on (and remove) children.

·        Government schools teach five-year-olds about sexual intercourse.

·        They turn boys into criminals.

·        Laws against medicinal plants.

·        Destroy a culture in order to make the people easier to control.

·        Mash together the cultures – because folks without roots cannot stand.

·        Replace natural law and custom with their incontestable social-contract.

·        No more allodial title to land.

·        Price controls, carbon taxes, cholesterol tax.

·        Cashless society.

·        Leverage in all forms – this is for the well-connected to get what they want.

·        Government laws protect the government, not the people.

·        Anglo/English Empire.

The Sheep

·        Government eco-cars.  An access code is necessary even to open the hood.  It can be controlled remotely; it can be switched off. 

·        Many have a recurring belief that the next vote will change things.

·        Accepting the system, even knowing it is corrupt.

·        Killing for the state is spiritual for much of the population – listen to the words of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

·        We are taught to idolize the brutal killers.

·        Neglected kids, broken families; broken cultures make for broken people.

·        The Constitution can’t save you – a piece of paper doesn’t create freedom.

The Freemen

·        In their Germanic tradition, the safest place is family and extended family.

·        The government doesn’t publicize those who successfully defy it – it would demonstrate their vulnerability.

·        You can be a free man or a self-shearing sheep.

·        Black market = free market.

·        Freedom = illegal activity.

·        Gold without a plan to launder it isn’t worth much.

·        Kindness is made criminal.

·        All the good people are fugitives.

·        The purpose of voting is to choose the next thief.

·        You’re not paranoid if they are really out to get you.

·        Defend your children at all costs – this is your nature.

·        Don’t send your children to government schools.

·        Don’t fight them on their terms.

·        You can’t stop what is coming, you can only be prepared for it.

·        Hunting season and hunting licenses are for subjects of the crown – do you need a license to hunt on your own land?

·        No authority above the family level.

·        Follow custom, not man.

·        Social pressure to behave a certain way – always true, so it only depends on what type of social pressure.

·        Gray areas work themselves out.

·        Absolute thought is fertile soil for the roots of tyranny.

·        Those who suffer the consequences for defiling the natural order deserve all that they get.

·        Regarding the government and connected: they will eventually rot – they always do.

·        There is a remnant.

I have written nothing about the characters beyond Erin and Harm.  Trotz brings many characters to life.  Through their dialogue and actions, you understand the depth necessary in family, community, and culture in order to hold freedom together. 

Freedom doesn’t happen merely by chanting “NAP.”  This is demonstrated clearly through every page of this novel.