On Saturday January 28th, 2012, well over a hundred people from all walks of life, protested on the steps of the Austin Police Department for solidarity of the victims of police abuse on January 1, 2012. This was the second rally that was organized to protest police abuse in Austin, the first was Occupy Austin Courts on J19 at the criminal courthouse. I helped organize both of these events and was happy to see the support from Occupy Austin, anarchists, Ron Paul supporters and moms who were previously non-activists. The is a great example of how people in the community can come together and support each other for a noble cause. Activists took part in street actions stopping traffic with their signs and many speakers rallied the crowd with the use of a bullhorn. The support of the community was evident, with all the honks in support from all the vehicles passing by. We also had different local news media show up and shoot interviews, similar to the first protest. The police left us alone for the most part, although we did notice some on a roof observing, it was a peaceful rally without any trouble. It seemed as if everyone had a camera that day to capture this historically and for personal protection. We also had live coverage of the rally online that day with gonzo journalist, Kit O’Connell, live tweeting and I livestreamed video with my smartphone. The rally ended with a march through the streets of downtown around APD headquarters. It was an empowering experience exercising our rights and showing solidarity for the NYE 3.

Stay up to date with case on the Free the NYE 3 and Free Antonio Buehler Facebook pages.

Below is my interview on the Freezone with Freeman, talking about the events that happened on NYE and the Occupy APD protest. Also below is a great video compilation by Mike Hanson Archives and a photo slideshow from various attendees of the rally.

During a DWI stop on January 1st, 2012 police violently assaulted a woman for informing a friend about her right to refuse a sobriety test. A bystander, Antonio Buehler, who saw the violence (and captured it on film) was then also assaulted and arrested on trumped-up charges. The entire incident was caught on video and shows the officers’ version of the events is untrue. Recently police Corporal Hipolito stated to Keye news, that he did not see evidence on the dash cam video of Antonio spitting on the officer.

This is a Rally to protest the APD for adding additional charges to the female victim and withholding the dash cam video that would further exonerate Antonio of the felony charge.

Demands:
*All charges against the victims dropped.
*Police officers Patrick Oborski and Robert Snider immediately fired, and criminal charges filed against them.

Bring:
*Yourself and at least one other person.
*Cameras
*Signs

Free the NYE 3 Facebook page

Occupy APD Facebook Event page

Occupy APD .pdf flier

Click on image below and ‘right click save’ for this image below.

The New Years Day incident in Austin involving police officers Robert Snider and Pat Oborski abusing peaceful citizens has reached nationwide media coverage. It all began with a DWI traffic stop in front of a 7-11, while the driver was out of the vehicle with police, the passenger Norma Pizana was informing her friend her rights. She is quoted in an interview here, “Yelling out of the car to my friend her rights is not interfering, it’s telling her rights,” said the woman. “And sitting in the passenger seat, never opening the car door, I’m not harming myself, I’m not harming others.”

Apparently officer Pat Oborski didn’t like her shouting to her friend about her rights, so he approached her sitting in the car and warned her to stop. Antonio Buehler was parked getting gas at the 7-11, he and his friend were watching the driver perform a field sobriety test in heels. He was the designated driver that night and was driving his friends truck home from a party. Pizana continued her 1st amendment speech and was yanked out of the car violently, causing bruises on her arms and legs. At this point she began to scream for help, as she was being pulled up from the ground by her arms over her head.

Shocked at what he saw, Buehler began to take pictures of the girl being manhandled by the two officers. Then officer Oborsky leaves the woman and begins to confront Buehler for taking pictures, “‘What the hell are you taking pictures for,’ or something along those lines,” said Buehler. “My response was, ‘I am allowed to. Public official in a public place.’” Then things turn for the worst as the officer accused him of interfering with an investigation (a charge that isn’t listed against him) and began to push him in his chest. Buehler has his hands up in the air, seemingly complying but asking why he is being assaulted.

While  pushing Buehler’s back over the tailgate, Oborsky declared that Buehler spit on him and then proceeded to take him down hard. It was at this point that Buehler said he feared for serious injury, the officer began to twist his arm back unnecessarily in order to inflict pain. Although he was complying and not resisting on the ground, he heard another officer state that he was going to taser him, he then yelled out “don’t taser me”. They picked him up and dragged him to the BAT mobile for a breathalyzer test, in order to pin some  DWI or public intoxication charge on him. Buehler states that while in custody, officer Oborsky told him that he was going to teach him a lesson for messing with the police. He was then charged with harassment of a public servant (a police officer), which is a third degree felony and resisting arrest.

Thankfully the police spectacle was being filmed by a witness from across the street using their cell phone. Miraculously, through public pleas across the internet, he was contacted by the witness and received the video from a post on Craigslist. The witness also stated that they are willing to testify to what they saw. It seems that the police are the ones getting a lesson about the power of smartphones and social media. They also learned that they can’t judge people by appearances and that they should treat us all with respect when performing their duty. This serendipitous moment, could be the tipping point that will allow for positive change in Austin’s police culture.

Buehler’s bio speaks for itself, and illustrates that he is a man of integrity who seeks to help others:

Antonio Buehler is a Westpoint graduate, Army Ranger and graduated from Stanford with a MBA. His philanthropic activities have focused on education and helping disadvantaged youth. He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the West Point Society of New York. Antonio covered Congressional Districts NY-8 and NY-9 as a Field Force Representative for the West Point Department of Admissions. Antonio coordinated all college fairs for West Point in the five boroughs of New York City. He also served as a liaison for both West Point and Stanford University at various college fairs in New York City. Previously he has served as Treasurer and board member of A Caring Hand, a New York based non-profit focused on child bereavement. Antonio ran a program to clothe children in war-torn Kosovo, volunteered at a Bulgarian orphanage, coached high school football in Germany, mentored children in the United States, and has sponsored three African children for the past eight years.

Similar past behaviors of the police in different cases, lends credence to the theory that the problems at APD are more than a few bad cops, its institutionalized. The lawyer that Pizana retained went through something quite similar herself. Attorney Mindy Montford was arrested for public intoxication in 2009 after giving legal advice during a traffic stop to a friend who was driving. The false charges were thrown out by a judge, but the detective just filed it with another judge, got another warrant and started it all over again. This is called “judge shopping”, and is a tactic they use to retry people in order to skirt double jeopardy. So it seems we have another instance of APD seeking to silence and arrest anyone that is trying to advise someone of their rights. Again, they made the mistake of messing with someone who could fight back and expose their corrupt behavior.

It also seems that APD has an aversion to citizens filming them. On December 4th, 2010, John Bush And Matthew Medina were arrested for not complying with a lawful order. The two activists were performing a cop watch that night and the arresting officer is shown at the beginning of the video grabbing Bush’s arm. They continue to observe the officers from a distance and then that same cop comes up to him and demands that he leave. It’s strange that he is so visibly upset about them, considering the other cops around seem not to care, because they are busy doing their job. The cop then tells Bush to go behind some pole, he complies but the officer keeps advancing towards him. The officer continues to close the distance while telling them to get behind a pole that they are actually standing near. Although they are clearly away from the location and not interfering, the officer decided to arrest them for not complying with a lawful order.The situation could have been handled differently by the officer, he could have diffused the situation by going back to whatever he was doing once the two backed up. Watch video of the incident here.

A recent First Circuit court ruling, affirms citizens rights to film police officers performing their duties in a public space. The three judge panel also concluded that citizens have the right to gather information about public officials to protect and promote the free discussion of governmental affairs.

The First Amendment issue here is, as the parties frame it, fairly narrow: is there a constitutionally protected right to videotape police carrying out their duties in public? Basic First Amendment principles, along with case law from this and other circuits, answer that question unambiguously in the affirmative. It is firmly established that the First Amendment’s aegis extends further than the text’s proscription on laws “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,” and encompasses a range of conduct related to the gathering and dissemination of information. … The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities, fits comfortably within these principles. Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting “the free discussion of governmental affairs.

The courts ruling makes it very clear that we have the right to film public officials in public, especially if you feel that they are abusing their authority. As pointed out in my interview of Buehler on Stranger Advice:

“I’m very fortunate and blessed because I’m a Westpointer, a military guy, a Stanford MBA, people tend to give my story a listen, hey he’s got credibility. This cop was wiling to send me to jail for a very long time just because he didn’t like me taking pictures. If I was a black or Hispanic male, or a white person from a very poor neighborhood, I think things would have turned out very differently.”

This is a very true statement considering the history of APD and their use of deadly force against people of color in East Austin. The Austin police department is currently fighting a lawsuit by the Carter family for wrongful death of their son Byron Carter Jr., who was shot dead as a passenger in a moving car. After 7 months, the debate still goes on due to the fact there isn’t video evidence, and the testimony of events by police are questionable.

Buehler’s story has been covered by the media very well to my surprise, local Austin news KVUE filed a Freedom of Information Act request for any other complaints about officer Oborsky. The media and others are also demanding that the on board camera video be released. The footage is apparently being held by the department because of their ongoing investigation. Buehler plans to take the case all the way to jury trial if he has to. He has also filed a report of police abuse through the Police Monitors office. Pizana has also stated to the media that she also seeks to file charges against the officers for abuse.

The public has rallied behind Buehler, a Facebook group was launched in support of his heroic action, with many lending support in anyway they can. Others have stepped forward to tell their own stories of abuse, some that even involve officer Oborsky. A donation fund has been setup for Buehler, Pizana and the other woman driver, as well. This incident has been a catalyst for people to work together in order to take action against police abuse. The first court date for the Buehler and Pizana is on January 19th at the Austin Criminal Court building on West 11th street downtown. We will keep covering this case as it progresses.

Occupy Austin Courts January 19th Flier pdf

Occupy Austin Courts Facebook Page

___

Help support a driver who was coerced into a breathalyzer, a passenger who endured police abuse – and former Army Ranger Captain Antonio Buehler, who was fraudulently arrested upon questioning and photographing the abuse. This fund will be split three ways equally to help defray legal expenses for Antonio Buehler and two other victims of police mistreatment in an incident that occurred early New Year’s morning in Austin, TX.

https://rally.org/APDvictimfund/donate

Related Links & Info

News & Blogs

West Point Grad Arrested For Defending Woman Abused By Austin Police
APD officers accused of abuse during New Year’s arrest (KVUE)
Two APD officers accused of abuse during New Year’s arrest (KVUE/Yahoo!News)
Man Accuses Two APD Officers Of Abuse During New Year’s Arrest (MyFoxAustin)
Austin DWI Stop Leads To Abuse Allegation (KSAT)
West Point Grad Arrested For Defending Woman Abused By Austin Police (DailyPaul.com)
Chivalrous Veteran Confronts Abusive Austin Police — Gets Assaulted and Arrested(LewRockwell.com)
Republic Magazine, Police Abuse in Austin: Iraq Vet Antonio Beuhler Assaulted, Falsely Charged for Photographing Brutal DWI Arrest
Austin Man Facing Felony After Photographing Cops Making Arrest (Pixiq.com)
Veteran Arrested for Attempted Chivalry (or spitting on APD officer) (Daily Kos)
His Name Is Pat Oblarski (CopBlock.org)
Video: Antonio Buehler Covered On Freedom Watch
Video: Austin Police Abuse Victim Speaks Out & Shows Bruises – Will File Formal Complaint Against Officers
Alleged victim of APD police abuse retains attorney Mindy Montford (KEYE coverage on female passenger)
Woman involved in a controversial New Year’s day arrest talks (KVUE)

In-Depth Radio Interviews: Antonio Buehler

InfoWars Nightly News (01/06/12, footage mark 59:23)
Liberty Talk Radio (01/06/12)
Stranger Advice (01/06/12)

The Occupy movement, shouldn’t be a movement, it should be a paradigm shift of thinking based on breaking their chains and becoming self-sufficient. Assume your power and create the system you want instead of asking for the system to change itself. The globalists behind the system, that can’t be voted out, have been in control of governments for generations and will not yield control willingly.

Since we are dealing with a hierarchical system, the best way to defeat it is to stop consenting and withdraw. We the people are the bedrock that the bricks of the pyramidal control system lays on. The different pillars of control are stacked on top of us, and if we stopped supporting it, the mechanisms of control will fall. We need to shake the very foundation of the system, and let the bricks fall where they may. Then we can seek out ways to rebuild that will benefit us individually and collectively.

Our focus needs to be shifted towards competing government institutions, personal protection agencies, dispute resolution agencies, mutualism and voluntary exchanges. The idea of working together and creating community based solutions independent of government is revolutionary. This means using counter-economic actions like barter, borrowing and untraceable currency are peaceful ways to withdraw economic consent to the State.

Everyone in Occupy has a skill, talent or idea that can be used to help them manifest the reality they want. Working on yourself, then organizing with others to build new ways to exchange goods and services are the key. Decentralized peer-to-peer non-coerced mutually beneficial voluntary exchanges was the model of the past, and is the emerging model now. With access to relatively cheap high level technology, we can build the Agora online that will help connect and foster Agorism in real life.

Check out our site based around “crowdfunding” each other instead of politics, PostPolitical.us.

Currently we are working on the online Agora of exchange, so stay tuned!

During Houston’s 2011 End The Fed Rally, attendees were fortunate to have their minds expanded by the revolutionary strategy of Agorism by John Bush. John is a hard working activist and inspiring speaker based out of Austin, Texas. John is not only spreading the message of true freedom, he is also working on numerous projects based on mutual aid and voluntaryism.

H/T CopBlock.org

More on the ideas:
Agorism.info http://agorism.info
Voluntaryist.com http://voluntaryist.com
Private Defense Agencies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_defense_agency
“Justice Without the State” video with Bruce Benson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN34fUtpJkg
Edward Forchion “NJ Weedman” Modern Day Hero http://copblock.org/9588/edward-forchion-nj-weedman-moden-day-hero
Anarchy & the Law: The Political Economy of Choice edited by Ed Stringham http://amazon.com/Anarchy-Law-Political-Economy-Choice/dp/1412805791
“Ed & Elaine Brown: Property Rights Advocates Jailed for Life” http://libertyontour.com/2011/06/13/browns/

More from John and his crew:
Liberty Bell http://lonestarsmart.net/libertybell
Lone Star SMART http://lonestarsmart.net/
Operation Defuse – http://operationdefuse.com
Black & Yellow Pages http://indigoagora.com/black-yellow-pages
DEA & FBI Agree: Drug Prohibition is Futile http://libertyontour.com/2010/10/09/dea-fbi-agree-drug-prohibition-is-futile

Wally Conger posted this review in praise of the work when it came out in scanned-PDF form:

Roderick T. Long’s “Toward a Libertarian Theory of Class,” which first appeared in Social Philosophy & Policy (Summer 1998), is finally available for download as a two-part PDF…

I think this is a seminal work in the ongoing struggle to build a hardcore radical Libertarian Left movement from three disparate strands — libertarian capitalism, libertarian socialism, and what Long calls “libertarian populism.” If you consider yourself a Libertarian Leftist, you should really read this. If you consider yourself a serious Libertarian Left activist, you should really study this thoroughly and add it to your intellectual arsenal.

Original PDF (combined into one file, 47 pages, 8.1 MB)

OCR’d PDF (40 pages, 512 KB) — In this version, the footnotes have been moved to the end of the document.

The OCR has been gone over, but we’d appreciate hearing about out any errors, missing text, etc.

Below is an excellent primer I would like to share that is the epitome of seeking liberty through an agorist strategy.  Davidson is a man of great wisdom and true grit, who’s gift to humanity is his ideology of living life as a sovereign being. His writings are informative from a historical context, witty, and straight to the point without pulling punches.  I’ve been a friend of his on facebook  for a little over a year now and we have communicated several times on the site. This beautifully written essay below deserved to be viewed outside of the realms of FB, it also fits perfectly with the spirit of JustLive. Enjoy and spread!

“From indignities that the beasts themselves would not endure you can free yourselves by simply willing it. Resolve to serve no more, and you are free. Withdraw your support from the Colossus that crushes you, and it will crumble in the dust.” ~ Étienne de la Boétie

In the year of our Lord 1215, at a place called Runnymede, a king after whom toilets have been named ever since signed a great charter.  Magna Carta was signed by king John to recognize the demonstrable fact that he did not rule by any “divine” right.  Indeed, in pursuing the full application of that document’s meaning, a later king, Charles I, was shown not to rule at all – by virtue of having his head sawn off by a swordsman.

Yet by half measures such as Magna Carta the people of England were led back into slavery.  First they were assured that England has no fixed constitution – though Magna Carta identified not only freedoms for the barons, but also for the yeomen – without whose bows the victory at Runnymede would have been far from certain.  Next they were discouraged from keeping guns about their persons.  Ultimately, they were disarmed, and now they are spied upon by their government, taxed to death, and regulated unto poverty.  And given how much England has fucked over my ancestral home, Scotland, and the rest of the world, I’m hard pressed to find much of a fuck to give about them.

But this idea that some must rule and the rest serve is entirely wrong.  And, apparently, by killing Charles the First, Louis Seize, and various other kings, people have somehow failed to convey this idea earnestly and well.

For in its place we find vox populei, vox dei which is an idiotic refrain if ever there were one.  The voice of the people is the voice of God?  Seriously?  Have you actually listened to these fools?  Have you watched any of them at the super market?

No, that is no substitute.  The divine right of the people to rule each other is no improvement upon the divine right of kings to rule everyone else.  You have to get past this idea of government as an externally imposed concept.

L. Neil Smith did the world a great favour by imagining what things would be like if Thomas Jefferson had penned one extra word in the declaration of independence in 1776.  Had he written, “Governments derive their just powers from the unanimous consent of the governed,” then the whiskey rebels would have been much more assured of their nullification, Washington would never have been able to conscript 13,000 slaves to march across Pennsylvania (killing 12 of them during the process) and both Washington and his tax man Hamilton would likely have been shot as traitors.  The Probability Broach is such a good book, you really ought to read it, or its graphic novel adaptation, or both.  Seriously.

In the analysis of the word “government” as something other than externally imposed coercion, what could it mean to be “governed”?  If it does not come from outside of you, could it come from within you?  If you were to govern yourself, what would that be like?

It would mean choosing for yourself.  It would mean taking choices on your own, without being supervised, without being threatened, without being deceived.  It would mean being responsible for such choices as you entered with full knowledge, voluntary agreement, competence, where an exchange of value took place.  In other words, it would mean being an adult.

Being free is not a decision you make.  It is not a sign you hold.  It is not a protest you attend.  It is not a comment you make on a blog.  It is not a hat you wear in a courthouse, nor a license plate some group of thugs supply you to put on your car.

Rather, it is an attitude you have, about life.  It is a way of living.  Being free is an aspect of every choice you take, every interaction you have with others.  Being free is being governed by no one other than yourself.

And who better to govern you?  You know what you are really like.  You know what fibs you have told.  You know what is best for you.  You know which things really suit your tastes, and which are reasonable substitutes.  In the market you pick the things that suit you, knowing that there are things there which suit others.

Are you harmed by choices you don’t take?  No.  Having extra spicy peppers in the store which you do not have to choose does you no harm.  It neither picks your pocket nor punches your face.  It simply sits there in a bin of vegetation which you are free to pass by.

In my own book Being Sovereign, I made an effort to give voice to this attitude.  The book is a series of essays, mostly from my financial newsletter The Indomitus Report.  In these essays, I try to capture some of the attitude and philosophy behind my being sovereign.

For I am sovereign. I have assumed among the powers of the Earth the equal station to which the laws of nature, and of nature’s God entitle me.  You should, too.

Then what does it mean to be sovereign?  It means that I choose for myself.  I am not supervised in taking choices.  I am not ordered about.  If I do what someone has asked me, very likely they have asked pleasantly, in a manner signifying their understanding that I have choices.  Civility and courtesy are useful in honoring the sovereignty in others.  And if I do what I have been asked to do, it remains my choice to do so, and my responsibility.

Every day, for at least some part of each day, you do what you choose without being supervised.  Why not be that way all the time?

And if you are your own government, then what business do you have involving yourself in the government by others of your neighbors, or of people across the sea?  Shouldn’t you mind your own fucking business?  Isn’t it time for you to withdraw from the system that attempts to oppress you?  Put some distance between you and these evil men and women who think they are right to rule you.

Were you to do so, you would be joining approximately 174 million persons who did not vote in the November 2008 election (of whom only about 77 million were ineligible due to age or current incarceration).  Were you to do so, you would be joining approximately 182 million Americans who filed no form of personal income tax paper at all in April 2010.  Were you to do so, you would be joining about 103 million Americans who either did not return any census form, or only wrote the number of persons in their “household.”  In short, you would be jumping into a very crowded pool.  Come on in, the water is fine.

Put down your remote control.  Turn off the television.  Spray paint “This box lies” on the face of your TV.  Kick it in.  Throw it in the street and shout, “I’m mad as hell, and I don’t have to take it any more!”

Stop petitioning the government.  Have you noticed that they are not listening, still?  I think they never will.  Were you seriously expecting the government to stop oppressing you because of that silly sign you held at the airport protest over the porno scanners and groping thugs?  Yes, sure, I put on a “press” badge and took some photos of a recent airport protest in the expectation of being able to document some of the violence that seemed likely to ensue.  But I didn’t carry a sign.

I don’t write to congress critters.  I don’t ask that my government change the way it is doing things: because I govern myself, when I want my government to change something, I simply change it.

I don’t vote.  I understand that you have deeply held reasons for voting.  Still.  Can you honestly say in the 40 years of its existence that the Libertarian Party has changed anything for the better, at all?  Really?  Do tell.  Yes, they became corrupt, sold out their platform in 2006, and nominated an arch Republican drug warrior, bigot, and gun law prosecutor in 2008.  Do you still think, after 40 years, that voting Libertarian is going to fix anything?

I don’t vote because I don’t consent to be governed by anyone else.  I don’t vote because I don’t agree that the outcome of the election is victory for whomsoever garners the largest number of counted votes – not the largest number of cast votes, certainly.  I don’t vote because none of these people have a contract with me to represent my actual interests.  They appear to have contracts with people in major industries who give their campaigns a lot of money, though.

Why are you so concerned, anyway?  If you are individually oppressed by some law, break it.  It isn’t your law.  You didn’t consent to it.  Why obey it?  Disobey.  Your chains: break them.

Your signs of protest do not demonstrate your power.  They demonstrate your subservience.  You are asking the people to help you change the system that oppresses you.  Why?  You are asking those in power over you to change the system that oppresses you.  Why?

Why not simply do those things you choose to do, for yourself?  Why not choose today to do anything that you think is the right thing to do?  Do you have any other sensible obligation, really?

These mala prohibitum laws arise mostly as revenue measures.  The things they prohibit are not evil in themselves (mala in se) but are “wrong” in that they are prohibited.  Did you know that in “repealing” the prohibition amendment, the constitution was amended to make it illegal to sell alcohol in defiance of the laws of the United States or any of the states? So, where is your constitutional freedom to distil your own whiskey?  You do have such a freedom, which pre-dates the writing of the constitution, and which was in the 9th Amendment for a time, but if you are a constitutionalist, you should be aware that right was “written out” in allegedly repealing Prohibition.  Whoops.

Why are there standing courts?  You know about the dangers of a standing army, and also about the people who profit from its existence.  So you know why there is a standing army.  But why are there standing courts?  Why is there a courthouse in the city which is the county seat of the county in which you live?  Why is there a federal courthouse in some large city near you?

Courts don’t have to be organized that way.  For tens of thousands of years, the people in a community looked to the elders of their community to sit in judgment of each other.  When the crime or tort was judged, the judgment might be appealed to the community as a whole.  But after the judgment was delivered, the court ceased to exist.  The elders involved in supplying good judgment went back to working for a living.  And the next time a crime happened, the judges would be called back to sit under the acacia tree and talk it over.

This court building has to be paid for.  If it isn’t maintained, it falls apart.  The clerks in the building need to be paid.  The judge needs to be paid.  He also needs goons, because what he does for a living isn’t fair.  So he has bailiffs.  He gets to have the only armed men in the room.  (So explain to me, again, why you want to keep going into that room?  Shouldn’t you insist on your freedom to keep and bear arms, and refuse to enter places where you aren’t free?)

From where does the money come to pay for all these things and people?  From fines, court costs, fees, and your voluntary compliance.  But there aren’t enough actually wrong things going on to pay for all that labyrinth of things and people at the courthouse.  Can you imagine some rural district in Montana where they have only one murder every ten years, no rape (because everyone is armed), and only the occasional vandalism or property theft?  Yet that district has a courthouse, judges, sheriffs, bailiffs, clerks.  How?

By having the county government and the municipal governments pass statutes defining various peaceful behaviors as mala prohibitum.  Now if you drive a reasonable and prudent speed greater than a magic number, you are breaking a statute.  You can have a conversation with a statutory enforcement agent, or pig.  You can get a ticket for that!  And maybe mail in a bit of money to assuage their hatred of your freedom.  Or maybe contest it in court.  Maybe wearing a hat that says “Don’t Tread on Me.”

If the court wants more judges, or clerks, or bailiffs, they get more statutes written making more peaceful behaviors into pseudo-crimes.  And more of your friends get stopped and ticketed.  And beaten up.  And caged by arbitrary authorities.

How would you react if these people were doing these things without the colour of law?  What if a biker gang came to your town and began similar proceedings?  Wouldn’t you at once ignore them and also prepare to defend yourself against them?  Wouldn’t you put together a mutual protection group on an ad hoc basis to get rid of the biker gang?

It seems to me that the more you engage their system, the more you are full of fail.  And the more you resort to half measures, the more you have to clean up later on.

Withdraw from the system.  Remove yourself from their sight.  Trade with each other.  And stay as far away from those things as you are able.  Wear your freedom every day.  Live it.  Believe it.  You rule you.

People help each other on the path to agorism.

http://www.indomitus.net/

facebook.com/planetaryjim

The article highlights a significant rise of “unbanked” households, seeking financial privacy from unwarranted actions by the state. Federal, state and local tax revenues are decreasing, due to the increase of personal transactions “off the books.”

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) released a report last week concluding that 7.7 percent of U.S. households, containing at least 17 million adults, are unbanked (i.e. those who do not have bank accounts), and an “estimated 17.9 percent of U.S. households, roughly 21 million, are underbanked” (i.e., those who rely heavily on nonbank institutions, such as check cashing and money transmitting services). As an economy becomes richer and incomes rise, the normal expectation is that the proportion of the unbanked population falls and does not rise as is now happening in the United States.

People also avoid having bank accounts because they are vulnerable to asset seizure, judgments, levies, etc. Increasingly, bankers and others who provide financial services are forced by governments to spy and snitch on their own customers, and this is a real turnoff for many people, which causes them to find other ways of maintaining financial privacy.

I think this is a good indication of the spread of agorism and the inverse relationship it has with the state. The beauty of this is the fact it’s not a movement, this is occurring as a natural reaction against the states growing oppression. I would say an overwhelming majority of the people involved have never heard of agorism, but we all share a common enemy, the state. This organic rise of agorism, also coincides with the growth of activists subscribing to the philosophy in the present liberty movement.

Many studies have shown that when people believe the taxes they are required to pay are reasonable and the political leaders tend to spend their tax dollars wisely, tax compliance rises, and vice-versa. In the United States, there is increased evidence that many tax dollars are not being spent wisely and are often used to pay off political cronies.

Over the past year in particular, the public has become aware that many in Washington who advocate higher taxes and argue that everyone has a responsibility to pay taxes are themselves not complying with the tax laws and regulations.

When you have a secretary of the Treasury and the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee (the tax writing committee) accused of cheating on their taxes, it greatly undermines the moral authority of the tax collectors, making the common citizens feel like chumps and, hence, much more willing to try to legally avoid or illegally evade taxes themselves.

These two rising vectors will further increase agorism in the social dynamic by social interaction on the web and direct actions publicly. The philosophically aware agorist explaining the basics to those already practicing it, will help demystify and introduce the concept.

The summation of the article, contends that the ever oppressive and corrupt state, conversely gives rise to the black market.

The evidence is unambiguous; governments cannot increase tax compliance and decrease the size of the underground economy by ever increasing and more onerous regulations.

It is no accident that those governments that allow their citizens a high degree of personal and financial liberty, including financial privacy, and spend taxpayer dollars wisely, honestly and competently, have much smaller underground sectors than corrupt and oppressive governments. Washington, take note.

The public is detaching from the statist mindstate incrementally, awakening to a paradigm shift of liberty from the state. There is no need to protest and hit the streets, just invest that energy into direct action in counter-economics that don’t empower the state.

Agora! Anarchy! Action!

Learn more about Agorism in this informative audio series based on Konkin’s theory of counter-economics in order to defeat the state. Background info and Youtube audio via Pete Eyre.

ARLINGTON, VA -Last summer Mike Gogulski posted an audio version of himself reading The Agorist Class Theory(.pdf from Agorism.info), written by Wally Conger based on the notes of the late Samuel Edward Konkin III (which includes a foreword by Brad Spangler).

In an effort to encourage more people to reject the violence of the State and life free, moral lives, I decided to take Mike up on his suggestion that somebody turn the mp3’s he created into videos and a playlist on YouTube.

For a bit more on Agorism check out this exchange between Rothbard (Konkin on Libertarian Strategy) and Konkin’s response (Reply to Rothbard).

Agora! Anarchy! Action!

Click here to order!

Today (July 8th) is Samuel E. Konkin III birthday, he would have been 63, in memoriam I posted a great audio version of his classic work ‘New Libertarian Manifesto’, with text included. The video is narrated by Mike Gogulski [www.nostate.com].

Free download of SEK III’s New Libertarian Manifesto in .pdf form.

New Libertarian Manifesto — The 25th Anniversary Edition, by Samuel Edward Konkin III (1947-2004), brings the groundbreaking work back into print. First published in October, 1980, the Manifesto is the most concise treatise on Counter-Economics and Agorism available to the public. Five chapters encompass Konkin’s unique view of libertarianism: I. Statism: Our Condition; II. Agorism: Our Goal; III. Counter-Economics: Our Means; IV. Revolution: Our Strategy; and V. Action: Our Tactics. The 25th Anniversary Edition is the fourth printing of the book, which has been an underground anarchist classic. Also included in this edition are critiques of New Libertarian Manifesto by Murray N. Rothbard, Ph.D., Robert LeFevre, and Erwin S. Strauss, and replies by Samuel Edward Konkin III, which were published in Strategy of the New Libertarian Alliance in 1981 and long out of print until now.

Click here and buy this shirt at our Cafepress store!

Agora! Anarchy! Action!

I hate capitalism and loathe the state, so I'm gonna smash this window and grab this nifty smart phone. Never mind the fact I just helped capitalist corporations, insurance companies and police officers pockets get fatter. FAIL!

Frankly, I’m fed up with protests that achieve nothing, but more power for the state and less credibility for dissent. We can walk out of the system anytime, you don’t need to go to these criminals and ask for your inherent rights.

Agorism promotes the idea of ignoring government, by dispelling the myth that these crooks are your rulers. Therefore no need to protest, assert your rights through direct action, siphoning power and money from the state, eventually causing its demise.

At these protests, you see cops dressed up like stormtroopers, protecting the so called leaders. These police state minions have families, and are just as much affected by the globalists as we are. The global elites at the top, have cleverly placed us in opposition, positioning both sides to attack each other, while the puppet masters remain unscathed.

Okay rant begin…

This years G20 resulted in another failed smash and burn protest conducted by undercover cops, and misdirected black-bloc anarchists. Do these political activists really believe that thrusting themselves against the system with aggression will work? The crime syndicate posing as our leaders, can care less about you marching in the streets, yelling at the top of your lungs with signs and breaking things. The people who are performing these acts, are unknowingly playing a part in their plan. They need public dissent to their tyrannic reign, displayed as violent inarticulate troublemakers, who are a threat to the public. This justifies the states authority, allows more police state measures, and loss of liberty through legislation.

At past events, undercover cops have been exposed posing as anarchists, in order to create havoc that enables all protesters at these events to be targeted. We have covered this extensively in a previous article with video evidence, here.

Paul Joseph Watson from Prison Planet also makes some good points about these provocateurs:

An eyebrow-raising photograph of one of the anarchists who set fire to a Toronto police car during anti-G20 protests this past weekend shows him wearing Nike clothing, a potential indication that provocateurs dressed up as black-bloc “anarchists” were again employed by authorities to cause mayhem in order to justify a brutal police crackdown and crush free speech, as peaceful protesters were attacked and arrested while the anarchists who torched the cars were left alone.

The picture shows the two culprits who set fire to the police car congratulating each other and looking remarkably relaxed about potentially being caught by police considering what they had just done. One of the men is wearing Nike pants – the distinctive logo of the company can be seen above his left pocket.

Why would a hardcore anarchists so dedicated to his cause that he is willing to torch a police car be wearing clothing made by a company that anarchists universally abhor, and one that has routinely been targeted by anarchists for well over a decade?

During this years (2010) G8/G20 summit, Canada spent 1.2 billion on security. Considering the ridiculous staged and organic violence that has occurred, the state can save some face and justify the enormous bill that the taxpayers get stuck with. Just think if no one showed up to protest, it would be a much more powerful statement of dissent with no media spin. The state would look like despotic fear mongers, who are afraid of their own citizens for no apparent reason. But instead, the state will grand stand about the destruction, seeking more political control, and the capitalist imperialism system will get a new influx of cash to fix all the broken glass, destroyed cars and buildings. So who benefits? The people who work for the capitalist system fixing things, insurance companies, police making overtime, politicans and so on. The media and government can also keep the stereotypical perceptions about anarchism intact, bolstering the state further.

While the G20 craziness was going on, individuals rejecting the system with direct action, gathered at the annual Porcupine Freedom Fest in New Hampshire, sponsored by the Free State Project. Events like this, should take place during these globalist meetings worldwide, in order to demonstrate our freedom, and viewpoint that the state isn’t our ruler. Imagine if more people organized peaceful festivals that coincided on those days and refused to work, buy, or watch TV for example.

Seems to me that planning a major freedom festival or event during these globalist meetings on the far side of town, away from the police, would be more productive. All the cops will be tied up protecting the crime syndicate, leaving us free to express ourselves and congregate. Meeting like minded people, minus the pepper spray, rubber bullets, and possible arrest, would be a far more beneficial experience.

Agora! Anarchy! Action!

PorcFest 2010 group photo

Photo via nealus on Flickr

Oscar winning documentary on freedom activist Karl Hess.

Via Wikipedia

Hess began reading American anarchists largely due to the recommendations of his friend Murray Rothbard. Hess said that upon reading the works of Emma Goldman he discovered that anarchists believed everything he had hoped the Republican Party would represent, and that Goldman was the source for the best and most essential theories of Ayn Rand without any of the “crazy solipsism that Rand was so fond of.”

From 1969 to 1971 Hess edited The Libertarian Forum with Rothbard.

Hess eventually put his focus on the small scale, on community. He said, “Society is: people together making culture.” He deemed two of his cardinal social principles as being “opposition to central political authority” and “concern for people as individuals.” His rejection of standard American party politics was reflected in a lecture he gave during which he said “The Democrats or liberals think that everybody is stupid and therefore they need somebody… to tell them how to behave themselves. The Republicans think everybody is lazy…”

In 1969 and 1970, Hess joined with others, including Murray Rothbard, Robert LeFevre, Dana Rohrabacher, Samuel Edward Konkin III, and former Students for a Democratic Society leader Carl Oglesby to speak at two “left-right” conferences which brought together activists from both the Old Right and the New Left in what was emerging as a nascent libertarian movement. Hess later joined the Libertarian Party which was founded in 1971, and served as editor of its newspaper from 1986 to 1990.

Here is another great interview from Mother Jones about Hess.

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These images and their creator are anti-copyright, but please attribute/linkback if you dig ‘em.

This is the eighth chapter from Les’ online novel titled, Spiritual Survival In A Temporal World, for our companion site JustGetThere. This chapter highlights several different diet techniques that could best suit your lifestyle and goals for weight loss.

Spiritual Survival in a Temporal World

Chapter 8

Now where was I? Diet, right… Today I think we talk about types of diet and let me set them out and then discuss them. I won’t be discussing any of the specialized diets that deal with particular maladies, physical imbalances or weight loss programs. You can find this sort of thing in Cosmo where their relative merits can be considered in the context of the advertisers present in the magazine.

First off, there is ‘macrobiotics’, a system of bringing into balance ones physical being by eating particular foods in proportion to each other. It should be noted that the founder, George Ohsawa was a chain smoker who was working on making a macrobiotic Coca Cola when he died of heart disease. I practiced macrobiotics for a period of time and I can tell you that it is a near perfect diet for those it is suitable for. I had tremendous energy as well as a sense of enduring equilibrium. The downside to macrobiotics that I have seen involves two conditions. One of them is that a certain portion of practitioners become food Nazis. These people are no fun to be around. The other is having insufficient information followed by reduced benefits.

If I were to want to explore macrobiotics at this time I would not read George Ohsawa because it could well have you tired, confused and moving on in a short period of time. I recommend Michio Kushi and you can get all the information you want from one of his centers around the world. It makes sense to attend one or more of their courses. For those whose systems and temperaments are sympathetic to this diet you will find the changes that you experience to be remarkable and possibly even supernatural.

I’ve mentioned temperament and suitability. Let me be very clear here. No one diet is the answer for everyone. No diet will be successful if you ignore basic eating disciplines such as thoroughly chewing your food; not drinking during your meal or for twenty minutes before and after, observing correct posture and having a peaceful or ‘settled’ demeanor while you are eating. These are all big considerations whether they seem to be or not.

The next diet I would recommend is Arnold Ehret’s mucusless healing system. This basically presupposes that mucus in the body is responsible for most of the body’s ills. Arnold came up with a system that substantially eliminates the mucus from your body. Arnold was capable of incredible strength and endurance. Wikipedia (which I don’t like to use) has some interesting things to say about Arnold including his manner of death. I have practiced this diet as well and it’s a good one for those so disposed.

I suspect the raw foods diet might have evolved out of this and I’m not going to spend a lot of time on that one and here is why. I’ve observed the raw foods discipline and it’s another of those fanatically-disposed systems that one should be careful with. Elements of Veganism also fit into this category. This system can have you spending most of your waking hours preparing your food. It can be quite expensive and time consuming and has become a temporary trend among celebrities and trust fund babies. I’m not saying it isn’t a good system though I think it would cause a gas problem with a lot of people. You’ll have to look into it and see if it is for you. I think that saying cooked food is poison is a pretty stupid comment and makes everything else suspect to me. However… this diet is far superior to the ordinary human diet and you would be better off with this than with the rest of the options in the mass diet.

Basic vegetarianism is a good catchall for anyone seeking to evolve their diet. It’s a good place to start and after a period of adjustment and familiarization you can specialize further on. Veganism is a curious one for me and I find that I don’t generally like to be around Vegans because they have a real capacity to develop a fascist mindset. You might hear that, “I don’t eat anything with a face.” Well, potatoes have eyes. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. When I hear that eating honey is stealing from the bees, my bullshit meter starts to act funny. When I hear that a cow’s milk is for the calf or curious views on chicken eggs, I begin to wonder. I’m not saying milk and eggs are good for you. I rarely if ever consume them but I do eat cheese and yogurt on occasion. My system of operation violates tenants of every one of the systems I have mentioned but that’s me. I’m basically a vegetarian but I occasionally eat fish and have NO PLANS to stop. Probably the Hindu and Thai diets suit me most.

Kinesiology is something you might look into as you develop a diet for yourself. All of us have some intolerance to something and it would be good to find out what that was.

Here are some things you should absolutely avoid; soft drinks, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners, processed foods, commercial meats, milk as a beverage, commercial snack foods and candies, most canned foods. This isn’t a comprehensive list but it’s a good start. You will note that I don’t mention caffeinated products like coffee and tea. I think moderation is the key with these but you must remember that caffeine affects the adrenals in a way similar to continuously starting your car while it is already running. Certainly caffeine is no good for you.

You can’t go wrong by eating whole foods, fresh vegetables and fruits. I’m not sure about organic foods as a total commitment; then again, if you can afford it, why not? It’s good to maintain perspective. Eating right will not make you immortal. It will not change other bad behavior not connected to diet. It might make changes easier and that’s the idea. Diet is just one thing to be concerned with. It is a big concern. Take a look around you at the appearance of people who have no concern about what they eat. Look at the society as a whole. Need I say more?

Nothing that I will discuss or consider in this book is going to be comprehensive. You need to look into things on your own. One thing I will HIGHLY recommend is Robert Gray’s healing system. You want to get The Colon Health Handbook by Robert Gray and his healing products. There are a lot of colon cleansers out there and some of them are radical and uncomfortable to use. This is the best, the slowest program and the most complete. It takes around two months to accomplish it but you will NOT BELIEVE how you will feel after you have done it. It will blow your mind. I’ve done it several times now. It makes very good sense to clean your colon at the beginning. Follow the instructions exactly and do not waver. It may cost you 2 or 3 hundred dollars to follow the complete program but you will not regret it. You absolutely will not regret doing this and the energy harvested will give you a major jolt in terms of continuing.

Regardless of which diet you embrace you must remember that eating too much is a mistake no matter what. Try to learn to stop eating when you are only half to two thirds full. It will make a tremendous difference in your well being. Remember to eat slowly and consciously and with gratitude. Remember to fully chew your food and not to drink liquids while you are eating. Look into occasional fasting.

If you should choose to follow up on what you read here you will find the benefits to be priceless. Don’t get sucked down into the hole that the wider culture presents. That is not the way to go. We may have more to say about diet as we go along. For myself I usually eat only once a day. Don’t be a fanatic. George Ohsawa says that if you follow his diet 90% of the time you can eat ten percent of whatever you want. I don’t know where we are going next but we’ll find out when it happens. Be well.

And a song

Everlasting Love

___

By Les Visible | JustGetThere Featured Author

Letters from the Devic Realm

Les Visible is a writer and recording artist. He has had a lifelong love affair with the Hermetic Sciences and the Martial Arts. He is a seasoned traveler in psychedelic realms and prefers the Devic Kingdom over the suffocating confinements of the Sub-Matrix. Along the way he has matriculated from the military to prisons and the maximum security wards for the criminally insane.

He has owned a metaphysical bookstore and some restaurants and worked in construction, as a cook, a club bouncer, a newspaper editor, a resort manager, a radio announcer, a standup comedian, as a lead singer in a rock and roll band and whatever he had to do to get by.

He lives somewhere in Europe with his wife Susanne and his memories. The truth has not been injured in the writing of this blurb. A collection of his works in various media can be found at www.lesvisible.com