Happy Secession Day (weekend)!
"That when any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it”.
It's that wonderful time of the year whereby we celebrate armed revolution against an oppressive government.
And there is much to celebrate! There have been significant expansions in human liberty since the founding of the US:
the abolition of slavery and ending of Jim Crow laws
the expansion of suffrage / property rights to all adults
the end of anti-sodomy and other homophobic laws
increased protection for blasphemous, obscene, and pornographic speech (both de facto and de jure)
the end of the military draft
However, the US government continues to
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For example, as of this writing, US government officials seize about 36% ($28 trillion) of the wealth created in the US each year. Government officials also indirectly control most of the rest of the economy via the state's regulatory apparatus. This control allows government officials to enrich themselves by selling political favors to cronies.
To maintain their extortion racket, the US government brainwash our children, kidnap and cage dissidents, and censor/persecute anyone who protests too hard.
What can we do?
One way to fight back against state-sponsored predation is via traditional politics: lobbying, voting, campaigning.
But traditional politics is a slow, costly, and uncertain fight. The existing players have rigged the political system heavily in their favor, and only rarely is it possible to make significant changes.
Thankfully, there are a number of alternative strategies to politicking; I'm particularly fond of the following:
Free State Project (@FreestateNH)
Seasteading (@Seasteading)
Charter Cities(@freecitiesfound)
Secession(@NH_Exit)
Agorism (@sallymayweather)
Agorism is the strategy of civil disobedience. As Samuel Konkin put it:
"Rather than slowly amass votes until some critical mass would allow state retreat (if the new statists did not change sides to protect their new vested interests), one could commit civil disobedience profitably, dodging taxes and regulations, having lower costs and (potentially) greater efficiency than one’s statist competitors — if any."
So, an agorist would say: do what you want, regardless of the law:
Turn raw milk into cheese.
Hire that illegal immigrant.
Smoke that blunt.
If enough people disobey, they can't arrest us all.
Moreover, politics lags culture. Gay people received de facto respect for their rights in San Francisco long before sodomy laws were officially struck down by Supreme Court .
Millions consume cannabis in contravention of state and federal laws, and did so well before states started to decriminalize cannabis production/consumption.
In many cases, it's only after a liberty becomes culturally normalized that it becomes olitically feasible to officially reform the law.
For example, Obama didn't openly "evolve" on gay marriage until 2012, after polls showed that a majority of Americans supported gay marriage.
Therefore, as part of your Secession Day celebration , I invite you to subvert a dumb law.
If you're feeling brave, do so publicly. The more people who are seen breaking the law, the less practical effect the law has, and the faster we'll move to a more free society where people are free to do and speak as they please without fear of government punishment.
But maybe you're not feeling brave enough to break the law. In that case, you can still offer encouragement behind the scenes for the tall poppies willing to speak up publicly. May I suggest subscribing to their Substack? ;)
To help spark inspiration, I've put together a list of civil disobedience strategies below.
Additional suggestions are welcome!
IMPORTANT NOTE! PLEASE READ!
Agorism is not without risks. Acting upon many of these suggestions--especially publicly--could have one or more of the following negative consequences:
Arrest and imprisonment. For example, some of the websites below might be honey pots, operated by law enforcement agencies.
You might be put on a list for secondary security screening every time you fly.
Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube may censor / ban your account.
To reduce your risk of government surveillance/capture:
Use the Tor browser to view the websites.
Always pay with Monero or cash/gold. (Avoid Bitcoin, as all of your transactions will be visible to the world.)
Read the Darknet Market Buyer's Bible (TOR required).
If you do come to law enforcement's attention,
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Moreover, while I've tried to avoid scams, some of the commercial businesses I link to may be fraudulent. The drugs might be placebos or adulterated. Always test your drugs.