Not long ago, I was in Lake Tahoe, California.

Near our hotel was a park bench.  On the park bench sat a statue of Mark Twain.  Or, Samuel Clemens.  Whichever you prefer.

Here he is:

As I stared at the statue I wondered, “What was Mark Twain doing in Lake Tahoe?”

After returning home, I did some research.  Turns out, Mark Twain decided to head out to the American West during the American Civil War.

Personally, I think that was a brilliant move.

When dumb American politicians decided to send 500,000 men and boys to their deaths, Mark Twain headed for the hills.

I am a fan of that policy.

Just a few days ago, my wife and I watched Woman in Gold.  I recommend it.  Excellent movie.

There is a chilling scene in the movie.  Two Jewish families are talking.  One family does not like the way things are going down in Austria.  Switzerland looks better.  They decide to get out of Germany before the Gestapo shows up.  The father recommends the other family do the same.  Now.

Instead, the other family hesitates.  They wait too long.  The hesitation dooms the parents.  It nearly dooms the children.

Remember the Sound of Music?  Same story.  The family sees the handwriting on Austria’s wall.  They leave their homeland to escape the Nazi’s.  Eventually, they ended up in Vermont.

The famous economist Ludwig Von Mises also fled the German advance.  He, too, ended up in America.

The Pilgrims moved to Holland for religious freedom.  Later they ended up in America.

Among many of my friends, there is a strange belief that we must stay and fight for America, no matter what.

Why?

Should Lot have stayed to fight for Sodom?  Should Ludwig Von Mises have stayed to fight for Austria?  Shoud the Von Trapp family have stayed to fight for Austria?  Should Mark Twain have stayed to fight for the South?

Empires rise.  Empires fall.  It’s nothing new.  Collapsing empires follow the same patterns.  The latest SCOTUS decision has convinced me that the collapse of the American Empire is closer than we think.

I don’t think we need to set our hair on fire and run in circles.  It’s just history.  The Assyrian Empire fell.  The Babylonian Empire fell.  The Persian Empire fell.  Alexander’s Empire fell.  The Roman Empire fell.  Napoleon’s Empire fell.  The Third Reich fell.  In our own time, the Soviet Empire fell.

The American Empire will fall.  No big deal.  It’s history.  Dumb politicians will be dumb.  It’s what they do.  American politicians will not stop until the American Empire falls.  It’s just the way things are.

I recommend you imitate Mark Twain.  When the fall comes, I recommend you get out of the way.

Meanwhile, stop believing in politicians.  Stop trusting the government.  Stop waiting for the next election.  Stop hoping that politicians will change.  Stop listening to talk radio.  Stop leaning on the broken reed that Washington is.

Instead, pull your kids out of the government schools.  Get a passport.  Start a business.  Educate yourself.  Learn marketing.  Acquire new skills.  Find a way to serve.  Find a niche.  Get so good at something that others are willing to pay you.  As you earn money, re-invest it in your business, or save it.  Stop buying stuff you do not need.  Cut television.  Cut cable.  In short, get ready to get out.

Motus, in Latin is the past participle of the Latin verb movere.  Movere means, to move.  Thus the title of this post, Scotus Motus.  I am taking linguistic liberties here, but essentially, the recent decision may mean it is time to move.  It is at least time to get ready.

I decided to pull out a long time ago, when that idiot George Bush signed the Homeland Security Act.

Who was after the Von Trapp family?  Who was after Ludwig Von Mises?  Who was after the Jews?  The “Gestapo.”  Guess what? Gestapo is a German word.  Turns out it took too long for the Germans to say “Geheime Staatspolizei,” so they shortened the phrase to “Gestapo.”  It means “secret state police.”

I lived in Germany during the Cold War.  I was in Berlin when the Wall came down.  We heard stories from the East Germans.  They had their own version of the Gestapo, the “Stasi.”

“Stasi” is another abreviation.  It is short for Staatssicherheit.  It means “State security.”  Sounds too much like Homeland Security to me.

I believe Mark Twain was on to something.  When dumb politicians decided to send thousands of people to their deaths, other parts of the world start to look very, very good.