To Each His Own...

One big reason anarchy is so superior to other ways of living is that no other way allows for the different needs of individuals. I need liberty. Someone else (apparently a LOT of someone elses, by the way people vote) might have a need to be ruled. Only in an anarchistic society can both of our needs be met.

In a country ruled by a government, everyone is forced to "go along" regardless of their wishes. In an anarchistic society, if you wish to have a Ruler and live according to his whim, you would be allowed to do that. Everyone would pity you as they would pity a dying addict choking on his own bile in the gutter, but as long as you made it clear that it was your choice (probably by signing a contract of some sort), no one would force you to be free. Of course, if your Ruler tried to force any free person to live by his edicts, the Ruler would have a very, very short lifespan; just as it should be.

Others might feel a need to have a democratically elected government that would only affect those who signed on for the game. As long as they keep it to themselves and don't coerce others, they would be free to do that. They might wish to move to a compound somewhere and keep their dirty secret... well...private, but there would be no federal raids to force them to accept polite society's standards. That is how civilized humans operate.

Inspiring Anarchy

As you know, my first loyalty is to individual liberty; also known as "anarchy". It is hard for me to stay interested in electoral politics when there is no real choice who has a burning passion for individual liberty as I do. When there is a Libertarian candidate who lights a fire in my heart like Michael Badnarik did, I get interested and excited. When there is not, I get very apathetic OR I get more determined to write in my own name and encourage others to do the same. Some people might interpret both choices as different expressions of the same thing.

My commitment to voting is a day-to-day proposition. I will vote in this next election (for myself) unless something more important comes up. Next time... who knows? I don't think voting really helps, but I sometimes enjoy doing it. If I didn't, I wouldn't bother (that is the essence of liberty, you know). Inspire me to go out of my way to vote for you and I will. Bore me and I won't bother. And I certainly won't feel guilty either.

I don't know why, but I would like to be inspired by others. It is so freakishly hard to keep inspiring myself all the time (LOL). Yet, the funny thing is, I do inspire myself. It is fun living in anarchy. It is fun to look at "the way things are" and realize that there is no earthly reason for it to be that way other than lack of imagination or awareness. It is fun to know that I own my own life. Yes, I will comply or obey just enough that "they" won't murder me, but only if I think noncompliance is not worth the risk. It is invigorating to be free. Enjoy the freedom you have, don't give up any liberty, increase it whenever you can, and don't stress over the stuff that is out of your control. Tomorrow, maybe those things will be within your power to change, too.

Convince Me, Bob

While you may gather I was not pleased with the Libertarian Party's choice of Bob Barr as their candidate, I am willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. Let him prove to me that he has seen the error of his ways and is willing to move America towards more freedom. Let him show me through words and actions that he knows he was dead wrong in the past and has forsaken those previous positions. Support no new laws, but only the repeal of existing ones. You betrayed us with the "Patriot" Abomination; stand up firmly against Real ID.

As I have said in the past, as long as you are willing to travel in my direction, even if you wish to stop before me, I will consider you a fellow traveller on the journey to liberty. Liberty is addictive and I don't think that once a person has experienced a little of it, they will want to stop halfway. Anarchy is the goal; libertarianism is a good rest stop.

I will probably still write my own name on my ballot, since no one has yet convinced me to do otherwise. Besides, I want to know I got at least one vote. But, here is the challenge: Convince me, Bob, that you deserve my vote.

"The Museum of Government": Exhibit Seven

"So, how did the state pay for all this waste and oppression? They didn't do the logical thing and simply print more of their 'funny-money'. No, they actually engaged in theft; stealing from the people in order to enslave them. They justified their theft by passing laws that made it 'legal', and they called it 'taxation'.

"There were even a lot of liberty-lovers who denied that taxation was theft and supported the government's actions in collecting the money. They pointed to the 'laws' that had been passed and said that made it 'OK'. They didn't seem to understand that, no matter how many 'laws' the government might pass, theft is never right. It is like 'legalizing' rape. No 'law' can ever make it an acceptable act.

"There was no function of government that was worth harming even one person for, yet it happened. Many people were destroyed by the tax-thieves. Their homes and businesses, along with their money, were stolen to make an example of them. They were kidnapped and imprisoned for years. Some were murdered if they kept refusing to cooperate with the thieves at each step of the attack. This horrible abuse was perpetrated in order to frighten other people into compliance with the thieves. It worked very well. Here in this display case are some examples and dioramas showing some of the tax-thieves at work, and describing some of the victims' stories.

"People became so brainwashed that they spoke of 'owing' the government. They might as well have been speaking of 'owing a mugger his take'. Those who wished to give the state their money were well within their rights to do so, of course, but that wasn't enough for them. They wanted to give the state other people's money as well. That is where they crossed the line into advocating aggression.

"It was obviously a terribly sad era, this 'Era of Government'. That era lasted about 5000 years too long and will not be missed or mourned. Except by those mentally ill individuals who still constantly attempt to establish a new government in order to save us from liberty. It is good to keep them around as a warning of what not to do."

The Haunted House

Suppose you are considering a house to purchase. You are warned by a helpful busybody that the house is "haunted". If you don't believe in ghosts, what do you care? That which doesn't exist can't harm you, after all. Granted, those who do believe in ghosts could harm you, either by charlatanism or by over-reacting to their own overactive imaginations. The well-meaning believers, or people who wish to separate you from your money, can cause you harm using the "ghosts" as an excuse.

Government is the same. It doesn't really exist except in the minds of those who believe in it. It can not harm you, but its "fan club" certainly can. Stop believing in it, keep a suspicious eye on those who believe in it or work for it, and stop letting it rule your life.


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Is There a "Libertarian for President"?

Remember that you can still write my name in if you cannot stomach voting for any of the offered candidates. My positions are still to be found at KentForLiberty.com and haven't changed. The vote will not count because of FEC rules, but the way the system is set up, I have never felt that my vote counted anyway. You may feel differently. I am constantly reminded that I am more of an anarchist than a Libertarian. Isn't that a good thing? Compared with some others who are being sold to us as libertarians, I think it is.

Lowering the Barr

Oh, great. Bob Barr? Libertarian Party nominee? How do you turn Cinderella into a princess without a fairy godmother? Or is this more like a case of needing to turn a lump of coal into a diamond? I don't know, but something is severely lacking in the Libertarian candidate: libertarian principles. I am hoping that he will get a good, quick, education, but I'm not really counting on it.

Edited to add: I guess I should have said something about the "Root of the problem", too. Sigh...


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"The Museum of Government": Exhibit Six

"This next exhibit shows what happens to the right to travel freely when government gets its hairy paws on it.

"When I say 'travel freely' I don't mean you don't pay for the services you may use, but that you are not subjected to the whims of someone who has no interest in allowing you to move about from one place to another. While someone else may own the vehicle or the path, they don't own you.

"As you probably know, back during the "Era of Government" almost all roads were owned and maintained (poorly) by government of one form or another. This was taken as 'authority' to demand that people carry a license that was used as identification and for tracking purposes. The Nazis had started this practice, but the governments of the early 21st century took the concept and expanded on it greatly.

"Counterfeit 'laws' were passed insisting that cars have a visible registration number to allow the state's enforcers to identify the drivers. People were targeted for extortion if they were not wearing a restraining belt while they travelled, or if they travelled faster than the enforcers dictated, or... well, it was a very long list. The 'highwaymen' of earlier times were rank amateurs compared to the 'mobile extortion units' employed by the state. The entire business of travel became a huge windfall for the authoritarians.

"Unfortunately it did not end there. Peoples' safety was thrown aside in order to allow government to have even more control. Airlines were not openly owned by the government, but in practice it was a different story. Passengers were disarmed and subjected to 'state-rape' before being allowed on airplanes. Here you can view a slide show of the excuses for the abuses spouted by the authorities... and the debunking of each and every one. For other kinds of travel, the oppression was the same. People were kidnapped and robbed by enforcers for carrying tools of self defense on their own person through zones where you were 'legally' required to die peacefully when attacked. It was never about 'safety'; it was always about 'control'.

"Most people were so thoroughly conditioned to the lies of the statists that they couldn't even imagine the world we live in now; where roads are privately owned (although that is redundant since that is the only kind of ownership that has ever been real) and only marginally necessary, and people do not give up their rights simply because they leave home. The whine "But who will build the roads?" was one of the biggest barriers for some otherwise rational people to let go of the fiction of government. As you see, it was a non-problem that was solved simply once our 'conditioning' was overcome.

"Now, please turn around for the next exhibit."


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"The Museum of Government": Exhibit Five

"I hope you are refreshed from your break. Back to the tour.... If you can believe it, there was once a political party that claimed to be working within the corrupt system to provide more freedom. It was a good idea, but was probably doomed from the start. Here is a display of some of its symbols and photos of some of its more influential leaders.

"As you can see from the trinkets, they called themselves 'The Libertarian Party'. Those who could see that the other political parties were all heading towards a police state, racing one another toward tyranny, yet still thought there was value in participating in the rigged system, chose to support the Libertarians. The problem is that no one has ever 'voted themselves free'.

"The illusion of government was so strong that even those who knew better got caught up in the fever. When you are told from birth that you have a duty to vote, or that if you don't vote you are consenting to whatever rulers get thrown at you, it has a detrimental effect on rational thinking ability even in the best of us.

"Still, one can't fault them for trying. The alternative methods were made 'illegal' by the very rulers who needed to be deposed. Trying to be 'law abiding', the Libertarians got distracted from what was necessary for America to finally become free. Each passing year brought new threats from new 'laws' until people became frantic trying to stay 'legal'. It didn't work and the unintended consequences are what finally brought down the regime, as I am sure you are aware.

"The LP, as it was called, did make more people aware that there was an alternative to more 'laws', and more enforcers, and more taxes, and more government. So, the effort wasn't a total waste. Plus, some people who had no stomach for more confrontational methods were able to quietly slip in amongst liberty lovers by way of the LP. Some of those became very strong leaders towards the end of the 'Era of Government'. But not the ones you might expect.

"In the end, the Libertarian Party was a dead-end on the evolutionary road to our free society. Scholars still debate whether it was a wasted effort or not, and since I am no scholar, but only a lowly tour guide, I'll leave that assessment to you.

"Watch your step as we move into the next room."


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Random Acts of Anarchy

I think it is time for anarchists to take back the term from the nihilists who have stolen it. I think we should have an "Anarchy Day". If anyone has a suggestion for a good date, let me know and I'll promote it as much as I can.

On our Anarchy Day, all of us anarchists could commit random acts of helpful, public anarchy. Each of us recognizes, of course, that we all, even the most enthusiastic statists, live our daily lives in a basic condition of anarchy. For one day, I would like to see us show the rest of the world why anarchism is the only philosophy that really works.

Choose something that needs to be done, then wear something (as unoffensive to the sheeple as possible) to indicate your anarchistic philosophy. I would suggest such acts as picking up trash in a local park, without asking for permission. Or buying a meal for a needy family, without asking government's permission. Fill an elderly man's gas tank, without waiting for someone else to do it. Repair a piece of playground equipment, without waiting for permission from the bureaucrats. See a pattern? Helpful. Public. Self governing.

In some instances, you may risk arrest for doing what is right without waiting for the parasites to "allow" it. Think of the publicity you could generate if the authoriturds do try to stop your random acts of anarchy. Be sure to have a trusted co-conspirator who will contact the media and publicize your arrest online if that happens. In the long run, that might even be the best outcome.

Each of you knows of a way you could help in your local neighborhood. There may be some government "process" that pretends to have jurisdiction or authority over that particular area. Instead of behaving like a statist or a government sympathizer and whining "Why won't they DO something about it", just take charge and do it. And when you do, be sure to emphasize that WE are the anarchists. WE get the things done that should be done without waiting for Uncle Scam to do it. We don't go to the city council meetings to beg for stolen money to pay for "help", but take control of the situation and do what our morals tell us should be done. As free individuals. Without coercion. Without theft. And best of all, without government.

(I apologize for using the terms "us" and "we", but couldn't think of any other way to say this. I am not presuming to speak for you. Really.)

Added: This post formed the basis of an article I sent to The Libertarian Enterprise.
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Ted Kennedy

Hmmmm. "Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain..." Well, duh! It took this long for people to figure that out? I would think that anyone who has not been in a coma for the past several decades would have known that. His brain has killed and enslaved millions of people throughout the world. His brain has conspired against America and the liberty that was intended to be our birthright. His brain has spread its creamy filling of socialism far and wide, and ... Oh, wait... "...a malignant brain TUMOR." Never mind.

FDR: "Conspire With Me To Destroy America"

This is an old letter that has been passed down in my family. I have no idea what my great-grandfather's response was to the letter. Did he fall for it? I fear that he probably did.

To quote from the letter: "I am particularly anxious that the new Social Security Legislation just enacted, for which we have worked so long, providing for old age pensions, aid for crippled children and unemployment insurance shall be carried out in keeping with the high purposes with which this law was enacted." (gag... choke!) Why doesn't he mention the fact that his program of "high purposes" will become a tracking number that will be forced upon you if you wish to remain a part of the above-ground economy? Why doesn't he acknowledge that the entire thing is nothing but a ponzi scheme that depends on ever greater numbers of victims to pay the recipients? Probably because he was an anti-American socialist who would have approved of all these consequences. The old tyrant knew how to make his evil schemes seem palatable to the uninformed, didn't he?

Of Course I'm an Anarchist! Aren't You?

When talking with people, something of a political nature will often come up. Kinda like a bad burrito. My libertarian (what many call "anarchistic") views are sometimes met with disbelief. "You don't really mean you would completely get rid of (government program of discussion), do you?"

"Absolutely! Wouldn't YOU?"

I am opposed to theft, kidnapping, murder, slavery and every other form of aggression. Why would I support the worst offender (as far as organizations go)? Putting the bad guys in charge of "justice" causes chaos. It makes people stop thinking about self-responsibility. Putting average, normally good people, who have no agenda, back in charge of justice causes... well... JUSTICE.

So, of course I'm an anarchist! Aren't you?


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Perspectives

Since The Move I have been helping my parents install a sprinkler system in their yard and garden. It is not my first choice of activities since I think monocultures of grass are unattractive and silly, and I think a hose waters the garden just fine. But, it's not my yard.

When I was growing up, the biggest threat that was held over my head was that if I wasn't careful, scholarly, and industrious, I would grow up to dig ditches. Well, I guess the failure is complete since that is what I have been doing.

While sweating out under the hot Texas sun with a shovel in my hand, I am reminded of how little exercise I have gotten in the past few years. To make the job seem less daunting I remind myself I am making a tiny little scratch on the surface of a tiny speck of dust in an insignificant solar system lost on the edge of an unassuming galaxy adrift in an unimaginable vastness of Universe. That perspective made the job easier until my mother, in her wisdom, said "Yeah, but you're pretty tiny compared to those things, too." Thanks Mama.

"The Eternal Flush"

A "Museum of Government" bonus feature:

"This monument is found on the grounds of The Museum of Government. It is, of course, "fully functional". Originally, it included the "all-seeing eye" atop the pyramid, but vandals destroyed that part less than a week after the unveiling. The museum decided the "vandalism" was actually an improvement so it was never repaired.

"An amusing point of interest: the patriot who began this monument almost ran out of funds about half way through the construction. When word spread of this crisis, so many donations came pouring in, from people anxious to show their respects to the memory of government, that the project was expanded and there are now similar monuments across the country."

"The Museum of Government": Exhibit Four

"Don't crowd, and let the folks in back see the display, please. Don't act like statists!

"Here we exhibit the ridiculous religion of 'victim disarmament'. Back in the 'Era of Government' it was euphemistically called 'gun control' even though guns were about the only thing it did not control.

"Parasitic liars in government convinced people that guns were the problem that caused 'crime' (the government substitute for 'aggression'). With their puppets in the old broadcast and print media, they pushed an agenda of disarmament and gun-owner vilification on an ignorant and fearful public.

"From our perspective of hindsight we can see the futility of thinking a 'law' would affect aggressors, but at that time too many people were fooled. Many, many innocent people were destroyed, physically and financially, by the hideously evil agents of the 'Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives'. There was not a single purpose behind that agency that was not an act of state terrorism and aggression.

"It took a lot of principle and ironically, guns, to keep the newly liberated mobs from stringing up those morally vacant enforcers after government died. Believe it or not, there are still a few old agents trying to pay restitution to their victims, but most committed suicide when they realized the scam was done and they would be known and held accountable for their acts of authoritarianism.

"Back to the main points: when people finally began to see that each new 'gun control law' caused an immediate increase in aggression on the part of the predators, both badged and free-lance, they began to demand that self-defense and its tools be decriminalized. The parasites fought back violently; realizing that without a monopoly of force, they could no longer treat people as state property. As you are well aware, it was a losing fight for them and their kind.

"Liberty was regained; aggressors (instead of tools) are controlled; and people will never again be fooled into allowing the most depraved among them to rule them. Each of us rules himself, as you know. For that matter, the desire to rule others has finally been recognized as a very dangerous sociopathic mental problem, so it is now treated and usually cured. The success rate is very high. It is a shame it was not cured thousands of years ago.

"The restrooms are here in the hallway, so we will take a short break while you refresh yourselves. You may have time to visit the snack bar or gift shop. We carry many of the books which were instrumental in bringing down statism. You might find them historically interesting. There will be an announcement when we are ready to continue."

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"The Museum of Government": Exhibit Three

"Here we see the progress of the medical arts under government. Surprisingly, medicine advanced much more under the yoke of government than did the last subjects we examined. There are many reasons for this, but they are side-issues which you may choose to research on your own time, since this facility is dedicated to studying the absurdity that was 'government'. Since the long awaited re-awakening of liberty, our only mission is to prevent a return of the parasite-class.

"The artifacts we see before us show the various ways in which medicine was held back during 'The Era of Government'. Using the tired and ragged excuse of 'the public interest' the state took control of medicine while promoting the illusion that it was only protecting its subjects from 'quacks' or dangerous chemicals.

"New medicines were withheld from dying people who had nothing to lose. Proven medicines, some with thousands of years of efficacious use, were prohibited on the premise that some people might enjoy the side effects. Doctors were required to be licensed by the state, which was not prone to try new treatments nor to embrace new ideas, but to cling to obsolete ones. This effectively weeded out the best and brightest potential doctors.

"All of these practices caused the cost of medical services to be artificially inflated. This meant that many people who could not afford the treatments they desired or needed turned to the state begging to be 'taken care of'. Health care became a political issue with many of the professional parasites promising different 'fixes' in exchange for votes or monetary contributions (bribes). Not one proposed the fix that eventually actually worked: getting totally rid of government.

"Can you imagine trying to get rational, affordable health care under those conditions? For many of the tragic victims of state-enforced medical rationing and squelching, neither could they.

"As we move to the next exhibit, resolve to remember the unnecessarily dead and maimed."


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"The Museum of Government": Exhibit Two

"As we examine this exhibit on the government concept of 'crime' (the government's substitute for 'aggression') you will see that by the end of the 20th century, 'crime' had been solved. The only problem was that government fought back against the solution in order to prop up 'crime' for a few years more. They had to.

"If you will look at this chart, you will see that 'crime' is big business for the statists. That is why they made up the entire concept in the first place. 'Aggression', as everyone knows, was the real problem. The solution was to allow the good people, who outnumber the aggressive people by a huge margin, to properly defend themselves without fear of government retribution. The authoritarians hated self defense as it demonstrated how unnecessary they and their enforcers really were.

"So the government enablers created the concept of 'crime' which was 'any action that went against the demands of the state'; regardless of whether it harmed any innocent person or not. Often there was absolutely no aggression involved, yet the people fell for the scam! Really, I am serious. People actually fell for the scam.

"Huge numbers of non-aggressors were kidnapped and robbed of all their possessions by the tragi-comically named 'justice system'. The people actually allowed the government, the worst offender, to settle disputes; most of which only pitted a person against the fictitious entity of 'The State'. In the instances of actual aggression, restitution was rare, and often any judgements of monetary punishment only went to fund more government. 'Justice' was absent from society.

"I realize that these photographs and artifacts are difficult for more sensitive visitors to view, but it is important that we never forget. This is why we say 'Never again!'

"In the old 'United States', which occupied much of America, the government had a higher percentage of people imprisoned than in any other country during the 'Era of Government'. Many were imprisoned and enslaved simply because of ingesting chemicals. Yet most people did not speak out unless it happened to someone close to them. From our perspective we see the ridiculousness of the statist ideology; the concept of 'crime' and the denial of 'aggression', but to the majority who lived through it, it seemed 'normal'. Such was the world during that dark time.

"Now please turn around to view this next display......."


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"The Museum of Government": Exhibit One

"Welcome to The Museum of Government. For those of you too young to remember the horrors of the state, this should be an enlightening experience. If you will come with me I will lead you through the exhibits and give you my thoughts on each one.

"Here we see the mess that government made of the simple act of educating children. Examine the high literacy rates before government took over the parental responsibility of education. Notice how it only took around a hundred and fifty years for government education to almost totally destroy literacy in America.

"See how the parents came to accept, without question, the government's assertion that without government education, the people of America would be drooling idiots, unable to do the most simple tasks. The parents, being products of the government indoctrination centers themselves, could not see the deception.

"Notice too, that the only real accomplishment of government education was to make the people unable to think for themselves. The end products made good cogs in the machinery of the branches of government and its corporate partners, but for the most part were unable to think critically or to recognize that actions and decisions have consequences.

"Fortunately it did not take long for education to make a comeback after the tragic 'era of government' ended. If you will now please step to this next exhibit......"

Note: This and all my "Museum of Government" posts are inspired by Jim Davies book "A Vision of Liberty". Also, I have added an introduction since I decided I may make this a recurring feature.

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Well.... Here We Are.....

We pulled in to our destination yesterday evening. This is the first chance I have had to log on to let everyone know we made it. So... we made it... and I am now exhausted.