By Brett Rogers
In the past week of unmovable snow and freezing temperatures, what succeeded is the self-initiated love shown from neighbor to neighbor. What failed is a centralized response from government.
This past Wednesday, the top board members of the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) all resigned. ERCOT dictates policy for the Texas grid, which covers 210 Texas counties.
All four members lived out of state, beyond Texas. The idea that some quasi-government agency that oversees the energy needs of Texans and yet its top people don’t live within their own jurisdiction is scandalous.
The basic premise of American government is self-rule. It’s well established that to represent the people, you must live within the area you will represent.
How a woman living in Michigan became chair of the ERCOT board is certainly a story in itself.
But that’s not the point of what I write today. Your neighbor is likely a hero in this crisis that we just endured.
Whether it was keeping each other notified where necessary food items were available… or helping deliver firewood to homes without heat… or running bottles of water to those who couldn’t rely on frozen pipes… your neighbors stepped up.
It wasn’t government to the rescue so much as it was average people who went out of their way to help others.
I have tremendous respect for the crews that worked around the clock to ensure that power and water were restored. But even some of them went above and beyond what the job required of them.
All of this self-motivated action was a grand example of anarchy.
Anarchy is not life without rules, but rather life without rulers. Any time that you act without seeking permission from someone in government, you engage in anarchy.
Those in government want to scare you by suggesting that horrible, nefarious people are out there and you should be afraid of them, these anarchists.
If they want to insult you, they might ask, “What are you, an anarchist?”
There’s nothing wrong with anarchy. You practice it every day.
You brush your teeth, put on your clothes, prepare dinner – all without the permission and oversight of the government.
Can you imagine how difficult life would be if we had to get permission all of the time? This is one of the reasons why we have a 2nd Amendment for self-defense.
The police, God bless them, are rarely at the scene at the time the crime takes place.
It is our God-given right to defend ourselves, our family, and our property. When we determine that we must take up arms for protection, we don’t call 911 and get permission from some government authority.
We just do it because it’s the right thing to do. And yes, doing so is anarchy, and thank God we do. Otherwise Marion County might be as openly crime-ridden as San Francisco or Seattle.
Saving a life is often an instant decision. In the past week, some people had to make that decision, and lives were saved as a result.
Life is better and longer when government is smaller and we don’t have to play “Mother, may I?” with bureaucrats.
Just as in the COVID scare, no one wants the get sick. But we’ve seen how a virus doesn’t listen to the orders of those in government.
Common sense prevailed more often than anything to prevent people from getting sick, and when people did get sick, the best care typically came from doctors who acted on their own know-how than those who relied on the government “experts” who seemed to change their mind every few months.
Robin Armstrong is a physician in the Galveston area. He recently told of his management of a nursing home facility where 39 of the residents got COVID.
His care for these residents went against the CDC-recommended treatment and, with his care, 38 of the residents fully recovered – one of whom was 101 years old.
Government tells you, for your safety, to stay indoors. Had everyone followed that advice this past week, fewer would have survived.
But good neighbors who know their equipment and know what they’re doing took it upon themselves to help those who needed it most, and they saved lives.
Don’t let people try to scare you by throwing around the word “anarchy.” Because the truth is that anarchy doesn’t destroy lives – it saves them.
Brett Rogers is a well-known political activist throughout Texas and resides in Marion County by Lake O The Pines. He publishes NETX.News and believes that smaller government is better government. He can be reached at brett@rightrally.com. His opinions are his own and do not reflect those of the Jefferson Jimplecute.