Competing Power Centers

Political power is wielded either by direct or indirect psychological motivation (carrot) or direct or indirect coercion (stick). Politicians typically apply all of these methods (except direct coercion) to accomplish their goals. Those who have obtained power positions are said to be authorities. In order to psychologically motivate individuals, you must occupy the legitimate position of an authority in a belief system.

In my life, I have encountered the following authorities: parents (who have authority from direct psychic motivation emanating from the care that is provided and direct coercion), Church leaders (who have authority primarily from direct psychic motivation and indirect psychic motivation of one's parents), government officals, police officers, guards, judges, supervisors/managers, etc.

The challenge for freedom loving individuals is to either not buy into the belief systems that confer authority upon authority figures (most effective with moral authority figures such as Church leaders), persuade others of the illegitimacy of the authority figures or the belief systems that establish their power positions, or play off one authoritarian system against another. It is correctly noted that atheist, non-religiously affiliated, or non-devout individuals are the only moral individuals because they make their own moral judgements. In societies with monolithic and intolerant religious organizations (such as the Catholics in Spain), the incumbent religious organization is quite corrupt and militant.

For the divide and conquer strategy to be effective no particular authority ought to have much more power than any other and there should be several competing authorities. The local judicial/police system should check the federal legislative/national guard system. Counties should be turned against states and police should balance the military and the national guard. The UN and states should check the power of the federal government. All attempts to coordinate/centralize these power centers should be fought. Given the current unwieldy power of the fed, individuals should push for state's rights.