Starchild,
I thoroughly endorse your perspective. "We" are not the vile state and the vile state is not "us." The state is a criminal gang. We libertarians are not part of it.
If the Mafia took over your neighborhood, would your neighbors say: "John the store owner hasn't paid 'us' (the Mafia) his protection money yet. What should 'we' (the Mafia) do about it?" Of course not.
Best, Michael
We don't get to elect the mafia.
Starchild,
I thoroughly endorse your perspective. "We" are not the vile state
and the vile state is not "us." The state is a criminal gang. We
libertarians are not part of it.
If the Mafia took over your neighborhood, would your neighbors
say: "John the store owner hasn't paid 'us' (the Mafia) his
protection money yet. What should 'we' (the Mafia) do about it?" Of
course not.
Best, Michael
From: Starchild
To: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 9:19 PM
Subject: [lpsf-discuss] Re: The libertarian "we"Eric,
Each of us can help separate the people from the governments by not
referring to governments, their actions, or their employees, with
possessive pronouns like "we," "us," "my," and "our."When speaking politically, libertarians should reserve the use of
these pronouns for other libertarians, fellow travelers, or in
regards
to a particular issue, for people who are seeking freedom on that
issue.
By doing this, we will create a more powerful sense of libertarian
community and solidarity. It will be a sense of community and
solidarity built around shared beliefs in freedom, rather than
simply
Dear Derek;
"We" are just led to believe "we" get to elect the Mafia through a
democratic process of rigged voting machines.
Don't vote - it only encourages the scondrels and rascals and
scalawags.
Voting also "doesn't send a message" - especially when any message is
automatically ignored if it doesn't fit within the scheme of power to
me things an elected politicina does to get and keep power.
Witness Perata literally locking out three legisltors because they
attended a moderate Democrat dinner - or even bluntly telling Leno to
not run against Midgen.
Who the hell does Perata think he is to decide who the voters of SF
and Marin should have as choices - such as it is - for their elected
officials - such as it is?
Ron Getty
SF Libertarian
--- In lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com, "Derek Jensen" <derekj72@...>
wrote:
We don't get to elect the mafia.
>
> Starchild,
>
> I thoroughly endorse your perspective. "We" are not the vile
state
and the vile state is not "us." The state is a criminal gang. We
libertarians are not part of it.
>
> If the Mafia took over your neighborhood, would your neighbors
say: "John the store owner hasn't paid 'us' (the Mafia) his
protection money yet. What should 'we' (the Mafia) do about it?" Of
course not.
>
> Best, Michael
>
> From: Starchild
> To: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 9:19 PM
> Subject: [lpsf-discuss] Re: The libertarian "we"
>
>
> Eric,
>
> Each of us can help separate the people from the governments by
not
> referring to governments, their actions, or their employees, with
> possessive pronouns like "we," "us," "my," and "our."
>
> When speaking politically, libertarians should reserve the use of
> these pronouns for other libertarians, fellow travelers, or in
regards
> to a particular issue, for people who are seeking freedom on that
issue.
>
> By doing this, we will create a more powerful sense of
libertarian
> community and solidarity. It will be a sense of community and
> solidarity built around shared beliefs in freedom, rather than
simply
> an accident of birth as is the case with nationalism, racism, and
> numerous other repugnant collectivist ways of thinking.
>
> With nationalism, you get to be part of a "we" with Pat
Robertson,
Well, in practical terms we as libertarians don't get to elect the government either. How many libertarians are there in all the thousands and thousands if not millions of government officials worldwide?
Of course you're right there is some difference. Yes, there is slightly more accountability than we have over the mafia, though I would argue not as much as exists with regard to a typical private business through the market. But the main difference between governments and the mafia is that most people in government do not see themselves as criminals. They are not conscious of being self-serving "bad guys" in society the way I presume mafia members are. Some of them even view themselves as noble public servants, though I suspect this category is far smaller than the public imagines.
Our job as libertarians is not only to wake the public up to the reality of government oppression, but to wake government officials up to their own roles as oppressors.
Love & liberty,
<<< starchild >>>