July 18, 2007 - Road Trip!

2007 CrimethInc. Convergence - July 25-29, 2007 Athens, Ohio

From the promo website:
"Last summer’s convergence featured over forty workshops, including urban exploration, traveling for free, the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, Proudhon and mutualist banking, local radical history in Winona, stories from the 2005 G8 protests in Scotland, squatting to own, several self-defense workshops, a reading group for which literature was distributed in advance, a discussion for survivors of sexual abuse, a report on anarchist activity and challenges in Latin America, a conversation about anarchism and spirituality, and a discussion entitled 'Lucy Parsons and Post-Left Anarchy in the 1880s.' In addition, there was a puppet show about mountaintop removal, an anti-authoritarian jug band performed traditional spirituals, and a filmmaker presented a documentary about a Brazilian form of anarchist psychotherapy."

Sounds kinda of interesting and I am planning on attending. It's a short distance from where I am now and it would be good to remind myself that there are more of us out there than the media reports, eh? If anyone reading this has been to a previous convergence or has any other tips, advice or opinions about these kind of events or the CrimethInc. Ex-Workers Collective, please get in touch.

See ya' there!


CrimethInc_Ex-Workers_Collective, Anarchist Convergence_2007, Chemical_Ali

What Happened to FreedomSLUT?

I've seen that unique and useful site get bogged down with commercial spam before sometimes, but the admin doesn't delete it any more, and so it has become kinda useless. You can dig through all the crap postings to find the occasional gem still, but who really wants to, eh? Sad.

Tech Tags: FreedomSLUT spam

July 15, 2007 - Agony Vs Agonizing

I've been experiencing some nerve pain in my neck and arms lately, making it hard to type very long or much. And so I haven't been. I seem to be getting better. Shingles, as this condition is called, are a bitch. But I endure.

On the other hand I've been able to catch up on my reading and also spend more time with the kids.

I may take a trip out to the coast soon or maybe even to Costa Rica. If I can't do any useful work, I may as well have some fun.

Any book suggestions? Or fun suggestions?

tags: chemical_ali shingles travel Costa_Rica

June 26_2007 - What the Future Holds if the Dems Win

The usual statist crapola unfortunately.

Arnold Kling wrote this analysis posted on TCS that seems to catch it all in a nutshell. One side of the Dems wants more, more, more! state intervention in our lives. The other side, well not so much, but..just run it all better and without a deficit too.

June 17_2007 - An Interesting Review of an Interesting Book

I saw this customer review on the Amazon.com webpage for a book I am currently reading. How Nonviolence Protects the State, by Peter Gelderloos.

Both are worth a look.

June 12_2007 - "Useful Idiots"

Hugo Chavez's "Useful Idiot"

"In political jargon, the term 'useful idiot' was used to describe Soviet sympathizers in western countries (particularly in the United States) and the alleged attitude of the Soviet government towards them. The implication was that the person in question was naïve, foolish, or in willful denial, and was being cynically used by the Soviet Union, or another Communist state."
From Wikipedia.

And speaking of which, I saw this blurb in an article in the right-wing tabloid Human Events.

Help Wanted: Cindy Sheehan Replacement
“Wanted: A mother or father whose son was a God-loving, red-blooded American who willingly gave his life for his country’s security and freedom. Applicant must be willing to shill for a ‘progressive’ presidential candidate, such as Sheehan did for John Kerry in 2004. Candidate must be able to curse like Mephistopheles, coddle the world’s dictators, be willing to leave her/his family, recite left-wing lies … with authority, and look good in Code Pink’s Pepto Bismol pink T-shirts.”

And I thought I was cynical. Pretty true though. Sheehan is an idiot, useful or not. See, when she openly endorsed nascent totalitarian Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and started criticizing Democrats for not keeping their promise to end the Iraq war the mainstream media and the Dem political elites dumped her like a hot potato. I guess you just can't be too cynical about the mainstream media and statist politicians can you? Apparently not.

Technorati tags: Cindy_Sheehan, Useful_Idiot, politics

June 08_2007 - Zog and Mr. Poop

Here is a short column I wrote for Strike_the_Root.com on my theory as to why liberal democracies eventually evolve into nanny-cratic authoritarian states over time.

The Origins of Authoritarianism in the Democratic State

"In a democracy however, the reverse is the case; the public’s every wish must be accommodated and acted upon instantly. And so laws are passed, regulations, specifications, and instructions are published, and are continually added to. And of course Zogs must be hired and armed in order to make it all work. And there’s the rub. The problems that all these rules, laws, and red tape address are minor and usually temporary; but the government-approved solution is nearly always permanent. And so the boil of public opinion reduces our natural and abundant liberty to steam which then disappears into the wind and then is gone. Permanently gone."

Technorati Tags: liberty laissez-faire nanny_state Lenny_Bruce economics