There will come a national emergency, such as the outbreak of pandemic bird flu or perhaps rioting due to a shortage of gasoline in a war with Iran. President George Bush will declare martial law for security and order.

This will terminate the American experience with liberty and begin democracy and freedom: Democracy being the rule of the president and freedom being corporations set free from traditional regulation to rule together with the state over the people.

II. Martial Law: It’s Necessary and Redemptive

A. To understand the Neocons, it is necessary to understand the philosophy of Leo Strauss

The work of Shadia Drury http://tinyurl.com/revp5 presents that Leo Strauss was neither a democrat nor a republican; he was a proponent of Natural Philosophy.

The following is an excerpt from ‘Noble lies and perpetual war: Leo Strauss, the neo-cons, and Iraq’ http://tinyurl.com/25bxx

Strauss divided the history of political thought into two camps: the ancients (like Plato) are Wise and wily, whereas the moderns (like Locke and other liberals) are Vulgar and foolish.

For Strauss, the rule of the wise is not about classic conservative values like order, stability, justice, or respect for authority. The rule of the wise is intended as an antidote to modernity. Modernity is the age in which the vulgar many have triumphed. It is the age in which they have come closest to having exactly what their hearts desire – wealth, pleasure, and endless entertainment. But in getting just what they desire, they have unwittingly been reduced to beasts. Nowhere is this state of affairs more advanced than in America. And the global reach of American culture threatens to trivialize life and turn it into entertainment. This was as terrifying a specter for Strauss; he lamented the animalization of man and the trivialization of life. Liberal economics would turn life into entertainment and destroy politics. (Strauss) understood politics as a conflict between mutually hostile groups willing to fight each other to the death.

In short, man’s humanity depended on his willingness to rush naked into battle and headlong to his death. Only perpetual war can overturn the modern project, with its emphasis on self-preservation and “creature comforts.” Life can be politised once more, and man’s humanity can be restored.

This terrifying vision fits perfectly well with the desire for honor and glory that the neo-conservative Gentlemen covet. It also fits very well with the religious sensibilities of Gentlemen. The combination of religion and nationalism is the elixir that Strauss advocates as the way to turn natural, relaxed, hedonistic men into devout nationalists willing to fight and die for their God and country.

B: Martial Law: It’s Necessary

Implementation of martial law will purge pluralism, individualism, liberalism, and relativism -- those things that promote dissent, that in turn dangerously weaken society's ability to cope with external threats.

C: Martial Law: It’s Redemptive

American society is characterized by liberty, and prosperity; these have made people soft, pampered, and depraved. Implementation of martial law and tyrannical rule is the redemptive answer to American’s decadence.

III. Conclusion

Liberty is anathema to the Straussians: it continually challenges the call for belligerent nationalism; and it breeds licentiousness and disregard for the rule of the Few over the Many. Martial Law will be implemented to introduce tyranny – rule from above. The State and corporations will partner to rule over the people.