A lot of what happens in today's world just calls for some intervention from Athena (or whatever other entity embodies reason and wisdom in mythologies). Yesterday I was watching Match of the Day on the BBC and during the highlights of a game I saw one of the players stomp on another's face. In another incident, another player elbowed one of his opponents in the head. Now I'm not one to take sports very seriously, but these two guys didn't even get a card. And they're not going to get any other penalty from the Football Association even after everyone can see this stuff on TV replays. Meanwhile a couple weeks ago the FA handed Luis Suarez an unprecedented eight match ban and £40,000 fine for allegedly calling another player a bad racist name during a game.
Am I the only one who is thinking of the old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"? I thought all children knew this stuff. But, apparently, adults don't. Nowadays it is considered a great offense to call someone a name, but kicking, beating, and other types of violence are just dandy. The football example is a silly one, of course, but it illustrates the situation as it exists in the wider society. A stupid prejudice like racism is just that - stupid. But we seem to care more about eradicating it than preserving people's rights in their person and property. A racist can't really hurt anyone. He (or she) just talks nonsense. The reason people pay more attention to the words is because they have to have something to distract them from the obvious 'sticks and stones' which beat us down in our everyday lives.
People choose not to see the fact that all services which are provided for them by the state are not 'public' services, but rather 'coercive services'. The naked force behind all government programs is so plain and apparent that we really need a lot of distractions and make a great effort not to see this. What I am worried about though, is the way this double standard of morals is starting to slip into the private realm. Already most people I talk to are nihilists of one kind or another. The football example is quite a good guide in this regard - why are a couple nasty shouts being penalized much harsher than physical violence which could do serious harm to the victim?
Maybe soon in kindergartens across the West we'll be hearing a new version of the rhyme? "Sticks and stones strengthen our bones, but words can really kill us" perhaps?
Monday, 23 January 2012
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Death Penalty for Self-Defense
As a lot of people know, I support the death penalty for murder in the current justice system. This does not say much, of course, because I do not support the current justice system as a whole, so there is little reason for me to engage in any debates regarding it. The main reason I don't support the current system could freak out most NeoLiberal minded people: OUR GOVERNMENT TODAY IMPOSES THE DEATH PENALTY FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING SELF-DEFENSE. So let's take an example.
I am a pacifist living on a nice suburban estate in England. I work hard, and so does my wife. We have to work hard, because we are trying to save enough money for our child to go to the school of our choice so that he can actually get educated, not indoctrinated. In order to pay for the school, we can't afford to forfeit 60% of our income in protection money, so we simply stop paying the local gang. We have not aggressed against anyone in doing so. In fact, we never used force to get anything in our lives - as pacifists we only use force in self-defense. We are therefore able to pay for the school and are happy living as we are. Unfortunately soon letters start flooding in from the protection racket which has a monopoly of "protection" in the neighbourhood. These letters are followed up by "court" documents and phone calls. One day, I am making dinner in the kitchen, while my wife answers the doorbell. I hear screams. I run through the hallway and see two men in strange blue costumes grappling with my wife. It seems obvious that they are kidnappers. Without hesitation I grab a knife and lunge at the attackers. But seeing the knife they immediately pull guns out of the holsters on their waist and open fire...
My wife and I are found dead on our doorstep by our neighbours that evening.
What do you think would happen to you if you stopped paying your taxes? What would happen if you didn't pay a parking ticket? What would happen if you defended yourself and your loved ones against the thugs in blue, who have no right invading your property?
Death is the only ultimate penalty non-anarchists know. And the State is more than happy to dish it out everyday, before our very eyes.
I am a pacifist living on a nice suburban estate in England. I work hard, and so does my wife. We have to work hard, because we are trying to save enough money for our child to go to the school of our choice so that he can actually get educated, not indoctrinated. In order to pay for the school, we can't afford to forfeit 60% of our income in protection money, so we simply stop paying the local gang. We have not aggressed against anyone in doing so. In fact, we never used force to get anything in our lives - as pacifists we only use force in self-defense. We are therefore able to pay for the school and are happy living as we are. Unfortunately soon letters start flooding in from the protection racket which has a monopoly of "protection" in the neighbourhood. These letters are followed up by "court" documents and phone calls. One day, I am making dinner in the kitchen, while my wife answers the doorbell. I hear screams. I run through the hallway and see two men in strange blue costumes grappling with my wife. It seems obvious that they are kidnappers. Without hesitation I grab a knife and lunge at the attackers. But seeing the knife they immediately pull guns out of the holsters on their waist and open fire...
My wife and I are found dead on our doorstep by our neighbours that evening.
What do you think would happen to you if you stopped paying your taxes? What would happen if you didn't pay a parking ticket? What would happen if you defended yourself and your loved ones against the thugs in blue, who have no right invading your property?
Death is the only ultimate penalty non-anarchists know. And the State is more than happy to dish it out everyday, before our very eyes.
Sunday, 1 January 2012
2012 - The Year of Austerity
2011 was the year that our politicians spent flaying the businessmen of this world in a truly Atlas Shrugged manner. They haven't, of course, done any real harm to all their cronies - the heads of corporations, bank CEO's, and other fascistic parasites who fund the political campaigns. The political action came down against the little guy. Taxes were raised, regulations were tightened, new cartels were created, industries were shamelessly nationalized. We all suffered from the increase and prices which resulted from these policies and from a high inflation tax. But I already sense a change in the wind for 2012. The new politically chic word is AUSTERITY. For the last few years it looked as if our thieving overlords were going to recklessly throw us down into hyperinflation. We have been on this road for quite a while. In 2012, however, there will be a change. Politicians would rather preserve the currency they have established (even in its weak and devalued form). Therefore I think they will begin all kinds of shenanigans in order to fix the system once again. They look likely to put interest rates up in order to preserve the currency. Any interest rate hike will, of course, automatically mean bankruptcy and default for most banks as well as most governments themselves. This is where the shenanigans will come in. I suspect the politicians will introduce some kind of measure which will prevent people collecting money owed them by governments and corporations. They will give some kind of ridiculously long term loans and perhaps 'freeze' debts of some banks so that bank runs are impossible and people cannot collect what is owed them. We have know for a long time that European and American governments are already in default - it is impossible for them to pay their national debts in uninflated money.
The other side of the coin will be a change in attitude. So far since the crisis hit in 2008 we have heard a lot about 'social responsibility' and everyone sharing equally in the suffering of the nation. This rhetoric was used to bully the free capitalists (not to be confused with government cronies like corporations and banks). Now in 2012 I think we will hear a lot more about the little man, the average Joe. The politicians will talk about the virtues of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. With this I suspect we will see cuts in benefits and welfare and well as additional tax hikes for middle and working classes. The state will thusly try to highjack the rhetoric used by anarchists and libertarians. This can be very dangerous because many who flocked to our cause may not leave, seeing as the politicians will now be chanting out slogans.
An important part of this process has already begun. We see that the image of the capitalist is being restored somewhat in the culture and media. Whereas the last few years were all about bashing innocent people who happened to make money, now we see the beginnings of hero-worship mysticism in the private sector. The most prominent example is Steve Jobs. The man is a modern day robber baron (this is what the left would call him). He is our contemporary John D. Rockefeller, our real life Hank Rierden. And yet the public and media seem to favour him. Another sign can be seen in movies. Lately a lot more films have included villains who came straight from the government and its bureaucracy. The upcoming film Iron Lady about Margaret Thatcher (the greatest woman of the 20th Century) seems to be an effort by the leftist-dominated movie industry to portray the Prime Minister as a woman, and not a bloodthirsty exploiter, as most people nowadays seem to characterize her.
So, as always, I advise constant vigilance. There is going to be a lot of new newspeak coming on in 2012. There is going to be more and more exploitation. Let's not get caught up in any possible positive aspects of the change, but keep on fighting the statists by any means possible.
The other side of the coin will be a change in attitude. So far since the crisis hit in 2008 we have heard a lot about 'social responsibility' and everyone sharing equally in the suffering of the nation. This rhetoric was used to bully the free capitalists (not to be confused with government cronies like corporations and banks). Now in 2012 I think we will hear a lot more about the little man, the average Joe. The politicians will talk about the virtues of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. With this I suspect we will see cuts in benefits and welfare and well as additional tax hikes for middle and working classes. The state will thusly try to highjack the rhetoric used by anarchists and libertarians. This can be very dangerous because many who flocked to our cause may not leave, seeing as the politicians will now be chanting out slogans.
An important part of this process has already begun. We see that the image of the capitalist is being restored somewhat in the culture and media. Whereas the last few years were all about bashing innocent people who happened to make money, now we see the beginnings of hero-worship mysticism in the private sector. The most prominent example is Steve Jobs. The man is a modern day robber baron (this is what the left would call him). He is our contemporary John D. Rockefeller, our real life Hank Rierden. And yet the public and media seem to favour him. Another sign can be seen in movies. Lately a lot more films have included villains who came straight from the government and its bureaucracy. The upcoming film Iron Lady about Margaret Thatcher (the greatest woman of the 20th Century) seems to be an effort by the leftist-dominated movie industry to portray the Prime Minister as a woman, and not a bloodthirsty exploiter, as most people nowadays seem to characterize her.
So, as always, I advise constant vigilance. There is going to be a lot of new newspeak coming on in 2012. There is going to be more and more exploitation. Let's not get caught up in any possible positive aspects of the change, but keep on fighting the statists by any means possible.
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