#'abolishing the police is a bad idea but we should abolish public schools'

[clementimetodie]

Why does the right constantly believe they are not being idealistic, the world needs to conform to your beliefs for them to work too, things are not going to just turn on a dime because you think you're intellectually superior for not thinking about the impact your changes would have on other people

[ramshacklefey]

I haven't read the whole thing, but I skimmed through a few parts. They're also planning to gut the EPA, CDC, and FDA, and straight up abolish the DOE and replace all public school funding with "vouchers."

Oh, and they're already "recruiting" people to fill key positions to make this possible. They want to have people in the wings so they can start installing them right away. The plan is to make all federal-level jobs basically "at will" positions, so they can fire people en masse and replace them with people who are on board with their mission.

The group behind this is the Heritage Foundation, which has been pulling strings at the highest levels of conservative politicians in the US for decades now. This is the group that gave the Reagan administration its game plan. They have an alarming amount of power and influence, and have largely managed to maintain it by staying just out of the spotlight enough.

This isn't just a crackpot idea, these people are legitimately able to put their plans into motion if they gain power.

And if you have the stomach for it, here are a couple passages from the beginning of their plan: (cw for transphobia, homophobia)

"Pornography, manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children, for instance, is not a political Gordian knot inextricably binding up disparate claims about free speech, property rights, sexual liberation, and child welfare. It has no claim to First Amendment protection. Its purveyors are child predators and misogynistic exploiters of women. Their product is as addictive as any illicit drug and as psychologically destructive as any crime. Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered." ......... Promise #4: Secure our God-given individual right to enjoy "the blessings of liberty." When the Founders spoke of "pursuit of Happiness," what they meant might be understood today as in essence, "pursuit of Blessedness." That is, an individual must be free to live as his Creator ordained - to flourish. Our Constitution grants each of us the liberty to do not what we want, but what we ought. This pursuit of the good life is found primarily in family - marriage, children, Thanksgiving dinners, and the like. Many find happiness through their work.... Religious devotion and spirituality are the greatest sources of happiness around the world."

This is before they even get into talking about the epidemic of single mothers, and how being fatherless is the real root of all problems.... and of course this problem is especially bad among Black populations... plans to ramp up "border security".... further militarize police forces...

Here's the thing: It doesn't matter who you are. These people are going to kill you. Yeah, they're going to come for the queers, and the Blacks, and the immigrants. Yeah, you should care because of that. But if you are lucky enough to survive that, you'll be living in a world where environmental protections are gone from this country. Public schooling systematically dismantled. If they get their way, they are going to start dismantling the fragile democracy we live in, smiling all the while and telling people it's for their own good.

This thread is incredibly important to read.

It is also extremely difficult to read. I don't know if I need to point this out, but the document itself is obviously full of bigotry so please take care of yourself if you choose to read it. Antisemitic phrases like "cultural marxism" and "global elites" appear before the document even really gets rolling, and are mixed in with transphobia, racism, and more.

If you want a taste of how this document starts in the first main section about "The Family", here is a taste:

"This starts with deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, and any other term used to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists."

It is all bad. ALL of this document is bad, and dangerous, and threatens the lives and the safety of everyone living in this country.

[thechekhov]

The Importance of Change - And How To NOT Fuck It Up.

This is going to be an odd post. You’re probably expecting more stuff about police from me at this point - and trust me, this relates back to that. 

This is a post to all the people who support Defunding/Abolishing the police and restructuring the system that houses it. This post is a reminder to myself, first and foremost, because I know that when I am for an idea, I tend to be idealistic. We can look at something we want to change and think ‘it can’t be any worse!’ and we can think ‘ANYTHING would be better’! This is a post to remind all of us of history that has and will repeat itself if we are not careful.

In the following weeks/months/years there will probably be attempts to implement an alternate system - social worker-like crisis response, and community-based responses, and money going to more education, etc. All of these are good ideas - but it is not ENOUGH for them to be good in theory. We need to be vigilant about how they are put in place - and who is running the show.

This is my plea to everyone to be CAREFUL and read the fine print. 

But more on that later. Bear with me for one moment. 

Bear with me for about... (checks) 33 minutes and listen to this podcast.

Revisionist History - Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment

(Transcript available here!)

If you do not have the time to listen/read, that’s fine too - I’ll summarize for you.

This story is about a turning point in US history - Brown vs Board of Education, in which Black Americans won the right to send their children to white schools. 

It’s a story about breaking down segregation - but it’s also a story about the horrible consequences and the subtle but VERY important backlash that Black Americans are still feeling to this day. 

You see, the driving ruling behind the victory for Brown in Brown vs Board of Education was summarized by this statement from the court:

“Segregation of White and Colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the Colored children. Segregation with the sanction of law has a tendency to retard the educational and mental development of Negro children.” (source)

Basically, the court ruled that allowing Black children to go to Black-only schools was ‘detrimental’ and slowed their mental development.

However, what the court was suggesting could not be further from the truth. 

Here’s what was actually said by Leola Brown (the mother of Linda Brown - one of the children who had been attempted to be enrolled in a nearby white school) about the current Black school Linda had been attending. 

Leola: “What? Oh, it was wonderful! I tell you, it was wonderful. And had it not been for this walking, you know, to school and going so far to school, we possibly never would have, you know, done what we did.

Later in the interview, the issue comes up again. The interviewer asks Leola specifically, “You didn't want your daughter to go to the White school because the White school was better than the Black school?” and Leola is adamant “Oh, no. That never came up. We were getting a quality education at Monroe.”

Now you may think ‘okay, so the wording/reasoning is different’. Why is that important? The point is that they won, right? WHY the decision was made shouldn’t have any bearing on the overall outcome. 

But then you see that the Black children - now to be schooled together with white children - go to their new integrated schools... and those schools have absolutely no Black teachers. 

Why? Well the Black teachers which are supposed to ALSO be re-hired at the now-integrated schools... are let go. 

The grounds for this decision? 

Well, racism, yes, but more specifically:

The court ruling.

The racist decisions of every board of education eliminating Black teachers from their roster is backed up by the court’s decision that Black schools are ‘INADEQUATE’ - hence the reason Black parents want to send their kids to white schools. Black teachers are ‘evaluated’ and are deemed to be not as good as the white teachers in the district. 

America loses MOST of their Black teachers. And consequently? Black children in schools all over America lose the teachers who actually UNDERSTAND their experience as Black Americans. As a result, Black children are discriminated against in classrooms for years to come. 

Was the integration of the schools a bad idea? No, absolutely not. Any family should be free to have their child attend the school of their choosing without being stopped from doing so based on racial constructs. The principal of the thing was absolutely correct.

But the way it was done caused irreversible effects - because the system hadn’t been properly deconstructed, and the Black kids and teachers were once again the ones to have to shoulder the fallout of that.

And all I ask is that before you sign any petitions and back any initiatives that you make sure that the system is going to truly be built on a solid, well thought-out foundation instead of an identical racist system wearing a different, fancy-looking hat. 

Read, ask questions - be critical. It’s okay to be critical. It’s okay to doubt. We live in a complex world, and it requires scrutiny if we want to see past all the layers. 

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: I love your blog it’s definitely one of the most smartest and cultured ones around. Since you are a super chilled out military vet (flying combat helicopters, how cool is that?!) and also a very thoughtful and devout Christian (I think you talked about being an Anglican) I know this is a cheeky question but I’ll ask it anyway. Would you rather live in a military dictatorship or a theocratic dictatorship?

Now this is an interesting question you play at 2am and the wine is dangerously low.

I have to correct you on a couple of things. Yes, it was ‘cool’ to fly combat helicopters especially in a battlefield setting but it was just a job, like any other. And it’s never about the pilot it’s about the rest of the team behind you, especially your ground crew who make sure you go up and come back in one piece. As for being super chilled you clearly have never seen how sweaty one gets flying in high stress situations. Oh and the stink! A skunk wouldn’t last 5 minutes in my cockpit.

As for my Christian beliefs, I’ll settle for being a believing one. My faith, such as it is, is about living - and failing - by grace day by day than being fervently devout. Faith is a struggle to not rely upon one’s own strength but on divine mercy and grace.

Anyway....

Would I rather live in a military dictatorship or a theocratic dictatorship?

History has shown there's not a lot of difference between the two...

No, wait. On second thoughts maybe I would rather live in a military dictatorship as the lesser evil.

As an ex-officer in her HM armed forces, I know things will be run pretty efficiently with no dilly-dallying. So there’s that.

I suppose even if one does say it’s preferable to live under military rule rather than a theocratic one there is still the question of what kind of military rule? Every nation that has been under military rule came to power and sustained their hold under different dynamics. And of course it also depends on how mature civil society and the rule of law as well as the democratic culture really was in the first place. A lot is tied up with the brutal nature of the personality of the regime leader too. There are simply too many variables.

So one is forced to generalise. So l can’t get too serious in answering this question.

Rather than focus on the negative side let’s look on the bright side.

Just off the top of my head I can think of these reasons why I would choose to ‘live’ under military rule than a theocratic one. There are in no real order:

Beds will be made properly subject to inspection.

Families will be run like military units with the man at the head of the table.

Family meals will be taken at set times.

Public civility will make a return (e.g. no public spitting, drunken, or loutish behaviour).

Freedom of speech will more likely be censored than abolished (better than nothing I suppose)

Elections would be rigged rather than banned (but who really votes anyway these days?)


They will most likely make the trains run on time (unless you’re British or Italian).

Military leaders often enjoy genuine popularity - albeit after eliminating plausible rivals - that is based on “performance legitimacy,” a perceived competence at securing prosperity and defending the nation against external or internal threats. The new autocrats of today are more surgical: they aim only to convince citizens of their competence to govern.

Maintaining power, for military dictators and their court, is less a matter of terrorising and persecuting victims than of manipulating beliefs about the world. But of course they can do both if backed into a corner to survive.

State propaganda aims not to re-engineer human souls but to boost the military regime leader’s ratings.

The military tend to stay out of personal lives. They have a political police but not necessarily a moral police.

Economic growth is more likely to be stable than under a theocratic state.

Military dictatorships are more likely to build vast bureaucracies to run the state - more jobs for everyone

The military put on great events. Their parades are more colourful and spectacular.

Having a sense of humour is more likely to get you imprisoned than executed for telling an anti-regime joke. It’s no joke to say that people develop a more refinery subversive sense of humour when oppressed. Take for example a famous comedian in Myanmar, Zarganar, for whom comedy is a shield and a weapon. During the time of the military dictatorship (1962-2010) he would make jokes like, “The American says, 'We have a one-legged guy who climbed Mount Everest.' The Brit says, 'We recently had a guy with no arms who swam the Atlantic Ocean. But the Burmese guy says, 'That's nothing! We had a leader who ruled for 18 years without a brain!" It was for jokes like this that Zarganar received a prison sentence in 2008 - for up to 59 years.

Military dictatorships don’t last long. They are more unstable. They tend to fall from the weight of their own contradictions.

One of the problems of living in a theocracy is how absolutist it would be in looking at life in terms of clear cut black and white according to those who rule over you. I strongly suspect in a theocratic state the morality secret police will be all over you looking for any social or moral infraction. In a Christian Theocracy, you'll never be Christian enough - the same would be for states that were Islamic, Judaic or Hindu etc. There's always going to be some pious asshole there with another version of Christianity that is more Christian than you and you're going to lose the freedom to make your own choices.

Under theocracies, unlike other authoritarian regimes, the rulers are the moral authorities that legitimises and fuels their political legitimacy to govern. It assumes its own moral correctness married to its political destiny to rule over others. As C.S Lewis memorably puts it, “Theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a tyrant, a robber baron is far better than an inquisitor. The baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity at some point be sated; and since he dimly knows he is doing wrong he may possibly repent. But the inquisitor who mistakes his own cruelty and lust of power and fear for the voice of Heaven will torment us infinitely because he torments us with the approval of his own conscience and his better impulses appear to him as temptations.”

Finally, I’ll go with the military dictatorship with the hope that there might be some way of bringing the system down with a bit of logic and rationality. Hell knows that wouldn't be possible in a theocratic system!

I agree with Margaret Atwood when she said, “If you disagree with your government, that's political. If you disagree with your government that is approaching theocracy, then you're evil.” There’s more wriggle room with fighting against a military dictatorship because it’s usually against an asshole tyrant - or a ruling oligarchy of a military junta - and not a pernicious idea soaked in theological bullshit or an entire ideology divinely santificated by God himself.

A more interesting question is not to ask is why many people are so readily drawn to be ruled under a military rule or a theocratic one and especially a benevolent dictatorship (like Lee Kwan Yew in Singapore or Paul Kagame in Rwanda) but why increasingly more people in the Western world look to authoritarian figures to rule and shape their lives?

Why do Silicon Valley titans like Peter Thiel and others like him think fondly of ditching democracy in the name of some utopian hyper-capitalist vision of ‘freedom’?

I hear murmurs of the same talk when I interact with corporate colleagues and high net worth individuals I hear it around dinner tables about how democracy is bad for business and profit. Often it’s accompanied by praise for China's ability to "get things done." I just roll my eyes and smile politely. 

I think - outside of the legitimate concern of the decay of civil discourse, the corruption of politicians, and corrosiveness of crony capitalism - it’s because democratic politics is hard. Damn hard.

Moreover democratic politics does not have a "right" answer. There never is.

In our Western societies it is the playing field (or market place?) where our values compete. Surely, you say, there is a right way to get the job done: to fill in the potholes, build the roads, keep our streets safe, get our kids to learn reading and math. Ah, but look how quickly those issues get contentious.

Whose potholes should get filled first? Do we try to keep our streets safe through community policing or long prison sentences? Should teachers be given merit pay, are small classrooms better, or should we lengthen the school day? These issues engender deep political fights, all - even in the few debates where research provides clear, technocratic answers. That is because the area of politics is an area for values disputes, not technical solutions.

One person's "right" is not another's because people prioritise different values: equity versus excellence, efficiency versus voice and participation, security versus social justice, short-term versus long-term gains.

Democratic politics allows many ideas of "right" to flourish. It is less efficient than dictatorship. It also makes fewer tremendous mistakes.

The longing for a leader who knows what is in her people's best interests, who rules with care and guides the nation on a wise path, was Plato's idea of a philosopher-king. It's a tempting picture, but it's asking the wrong question.

In political history, philosophers moved from a preference for such benevolent dictators to the ugly realities of democracy when they switched the question from "who could best rule?" to "what system prevents the worst rule?"

But clearly democracy is buckling under pressure in our torrid times. Populism - the logical end consequence of a purer democracy - is chipping away at the edifice of democratic norms and conventions. Increasingly inward looking nativism and nationalism fuel passions beyond the control of reason.

Perhaps it is time we went back to the tried and tested example of a monarchy, a constitutional one that is. 

A revitalised monarchy in Britain needs a Head of State that can provide a personal identity to an impersonal State, and a collective sense of itself. A Head of State who does not owe his or her position to either patronage or a vote can more properly represent all the people. Consider that a President who has been elected, often by a minority of a minority of the electorate, cannot adequately speak for the people who did not vote for him or her. It is even worse if the President has been appointed, because then he owes his position to a small clique.So, the accident of birth is the best means of appointing a Head of State. Someone who has no party political axe to grind, or special favours to repay to a vested interest. Someone whose allegiance is to the people. Not just allegiance to the people who voted for him or his political party, but allegiance to all the people of the country equally. Far from being "incompatible" with democracy, a Monarchy can thereby enhance the government of the land.

The Monarch is a national icon. An icon which cannot be replaced adequately by any other politician or personality. This is because the British Monarchy embodies British history and identity in all its aspects, both good and bad.

When you see the Queen you not only see history since 1952, when she took the throne, but you see a person who provides a living sense of historical continuity with the past. Someone who embodies in her person a history which extends back through time, back through the Victorian era, back into the Stuart era and beyond. You see the national history of all parts of our islands, together, going right back in time.

As Edmund Burke, Roger Scruton and Michael Oakeshott would say, the monarchy is a living continuity between the past, the present and the future.

With its traditions, its history, its ceremonial, and with its standing and respect throughout the world, the British Monarchy represents a unique national treasure, without which the United Kingdom would be sorely impoverished.

If you value national distinctiveness, you should be a Monarchist.

If you are anti-globalist you should be a Monarchist because Monarchies represent the different national traditions and distinctions among the nations.

The desire to secure, strengthen and promote your own distinct national icons, whether your Monarch, or your own unique national identity, should be your concern, whether you live here in St Andrews, or whether you live in St Petersburg, or whether you live in St Paulo.

As the global financial system rushes us all towards a world intended to eradicate all local and national distinctions, the Monarchy stands out as different, distinct and valuable. Constitutionally, practically, spiritually and symbolically the Monarchy is a national treasure, the continued erosion of which would change the character of Britain, and not in a good way!

I’m speaking as a High Tory now, sorry.  And so of course I only see it working for the United Kingdom....and the Commonwealth (slip that discreetly in there for you India, Australia, Canada, and Africa).

Still, if you want egalitarianism then look at Norway and the Netherlands - both highly "egalitarian" societies, and both monarchies.

Everyone else will just have to jolly well do without or ask us politely to come back (I’m looking at you my dear American colonial cousins, all will be forgiven).

The best of all worlds? Time will tell.

At your service, Ma’am....

Thanks for your question.

[uncloseted]

if you are against prisons what do you think should happen to the cops who killed George Floyd?

So I should preface this by saying that I’m not necessarily against incarceration or institutionalization for people who have committed terrible crimes.  I’m against the prison system that most Western countries use, and particularly against the prison industrial complex that the US has developed.  If we could transition to a penal system like Norway or Sweden has, with the eventual goal of getting rid of prisons entirely, I would consider that to be incredible progress.  

I should also say that this system only works if you believe in people’s ability to change.  The idea that people can and will improve with the right support is an idea that’s fundamental to how I engage with the world, but I understand that not everyone agrees with me on that front.

I think the question of what happens to “bad people” is actually irrelevant to the conversation about what we should do next.  It’s predicated on a presumed fear for safety, but we have never been safe under the current system.  The US has 5% of the world’s population but one quarter of the world’s prisoners, and yet, there have always been bad people who have not been incarcerated.  The vast majority of cops involved in shootings are never arrested at all; if not for the outcry from the public, all four of the cops involved in George Floyd’s murder would have gone free.  

Less than 1% of rapes lead to felony convictions in the US, while 89% of victims report some level of distress, including high rates of physical injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and substance abuse.  Our justice system has never protected people of color, LGBT people, disabled people, poor people, women, or other marginalized groups; in fact, those individuals can experience additional violence at the hands of the state.  Our justice system disproportionately incarcerates Black men (the incarceration rate of black men is over six times as high as for white men), and has ten times as many mentally ill individuals as state hospitals do.

We know that long prison sentences have little impact on crime, that increasing the severity of punishment does little to deter crime, and that spending time in prison actually increases the likelihood that a person will commit another crime. In the US, the vast majority of prisoners are rearrested within 3 years of their release, largely due to the lack of institutional support once they’re released and a focus on punishment instead of rehabilitation.  Those facts are from the literal National Institute of Justice, an official branch of the Department of Justice.  Our government knows our prison system doesn’t work.  They just don’t care to change it.  The prison system in the US is expensive and ineffective at best, and actively hurting its own established goals at worst.  But it stays alive because it’s privatized and shareholders benefit from the expansion of prisons and tougher laws on crime.

In any case, the discussion about alternatives to police and prisons is a long one, but essentially the answer is rehabilitation and reconciliation.  Prison abolitionists argue for replacing incarceration with fines, house arrest/curfews, mandatory drug/mental health treatment/rehabilitation programs, supervised release, probation, restitution to victims, community service, and other restorative justice programs.  They argue for community accountability practices, including community controlled courts, councils, and assemblies as an alternative to the current justice system.  This sort of system might include mediation between the survivor of violence and the perpetrator to hold the person who committed the violence accountable by working to meet a set of pre-determined demands.  

Abolitionists also focus on rehabilitation; the idea that when a person is convicted of a crime, we should be focused on changing their lives in a way that will make them productive, law-abiding members of society.  What that looks like depends on the person; for some people, that might mean getting regular access to addiction specialists or mental healthcare or putting them in touch with organizations that can get them access to food, clean water, housing, and job training.

But also, prison abolition isn’t really even about what you do after someone commits a crime.  The goal is to prevent crime.  Crime doesn’t just happen out of nowhere.  Criminals don’t wake up one day and decide it would be super fun  to pass off a fake $20 bill as real, risking their freedom and their lives in the process.  Crime is a result of desperation and of our government’s lack of support for the people who need it most. When I see stories about the prison system in Norway or Sweden, the comment section is always full of people joking about how Scandinavian prisons are nicer than their apartment, or how the prisoners are treated so well that they want to go to Scandinavia and get arrested.  I get that it’s (kind of) a joke, but think about that- our government does so little for its people that being imprisoned abroad is a better situation than the one a lot of us are living in now.  And yet, the follow up question never seems to be “why doesn’t our government take care of its people” or “why is the prison system in the US so horrifyingly bad”.  

We have so much crime in the US for a couple of reasons.  The biggest is that we manufacture crime through programs that incarcerate people for non-violent offenses, like the War on Drugs or the prohibition of sex work.  But it’s also that there’s a huge disparity in income, in education, in basic resources that are needed to survive.  Flint, Michigan still doesn’t really have clean water.  When you have a family to support and a sub-par high school education and no job opportunities around you and a justice system that already presumes your guilt just because of how you look.... all of a sudden, crime seems like an option, because it’s the only option you have left.  Part of abolishing the prison system is giving people other options and making sure that they know they’re supported, cared for, and not alone in their struggle.

[librelivrevivre]

so i got an anon question and wrote a huge response haha sorry this is a lot BUT important

q: i'm sorry to be *that person* but are you able to direct me to resources about how to go about abolishing the police? i originally thought that the 8 cant wait campaign was "good" and came from a reputable source, but i've been told it's not good because it allows the police to stay the police. i really want to be helpful and i feel really bad for not knowing what the right thing to do is, even after trying to educate myself. i'm overwhelmed.

First of all, don’t be sorry! I’m here to help it’s literally what my future career is haha. I love it when y’all ask questions!

Second, it’s understandably an overwhelming time right now. People are screaming their point of view from every side and that can become extremely overwhelming. I’ve had seven years of experience with this so I’m not as heavily affected by it but I’m still anxious as all hell. It is okay to step away and take some time for yourself. It is not healthy to be constantly involved in conflict 24/7. Put limits on yourself for social media, news, etc. Get some fresh air, read books, watch a comedy on Netflix, etc.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. Change is slow and this will be a lifelong fight. The dust will settle but the injustice will remain. We need people well rested and well educated and ready to defend against inequality.

Third, this answer might not be perfect or what some deem “right” and, while I am not a WOC so I cannot speak of racism as my own experience, I have been an activist for about seven years now (yes, I was thirteen and yes, I got my ass kicked in high school) and have worked both on the side of the protesters and the side of the politics. I can definitely compile resources but everyone is going to have an agenda and no one is going to fully agree on one thing. There will always be someone telling you that your opinion is wrong. I advise heavily that everyone focus their attention on educating themselves because this isn’t an easy one and done solution.

We won’t be able to abolish police overnight. The 8 Can’t Wait campaign is excellent for “right now” policies that we can enact immediately. Either police chiefs can implement them OR politicians can put them into law. It’s an immediate fix to some things and will force police to be more regulated. Once we have that in place, we can start working on other long term solutions such as defunding the police and distributing that funding to other places (education for social workers, trauma counseling, violence prevention counselors for neighborhoods, etc.) and then slowly by slowly, we will remove the need for police in some aspects.

I will admit, I am under the belief that we will never entirely dissolve the police force. We will need SOMEONE to engage when the next school shooting happens (unfortunately) and we need detectives (who need degrees and extra training) to be able to work crime scenes. However, we should reform police entirely by requiring degrees, psych evaluations every six months, heavy de-escalation training, continued job training, and more. If I have to get 4-6 of education and continued job training just to be a teacher, then police officers should have more than six months of training to work with the public.

The fourth and I’d say one of the most important things to remember is that the world is always changing. Opinions are changing every second and new facts are coming at us faster than we can process it. You are not automatically “wrong” or “unhelpful” if you are struggling to process everything. We live in an age of information. Everyone is going to have an opinion. When I started out with activism, I blindly followed what everyone else was saying because I thought that was the only “right” opinion out there. But there will be many, many people with really great ideas. We cannot discredit them but we also can’t blindly follow them. Instead, I recommend taking various sources, opinions, and education and molding your own opinion. It might not be exactly perfect and people WILL disagree with you on certain points, but that’s the beauty of humanity.

Again, this is a marathon, not a sprint. You don’t need to become an expert overnight. Activism is a long, hard battle and that’s why we depend on our fellow brothers and sisters in this fight. My messages and inbox are always open and I would love to talk to people!

To everyone: look into working at local community centers and shelters, as tutors in schools, as volunteers in libraries, etc. Protesting is amazing and necessary but so is voting, volunteering, and working to help rebuild the communities destroyed by police brutality and systematic racism. This fight doesn’t end once it stops being “trendy” so expect to see me reminding y’all and spreading more resources!!

I love u all and I am now ur internet mom/sister u have no choice

[melnchly-a]

i was debating posting this but here are a range of things to think about re: police and reform. 

i’m seeing a lot of “abolish the police” posts, and while i know exactly where that’s coming from, it’s also a simple-seeming answer to a deep and complex problem, and one that’s likely to cause more problems than you’re likely thinking. (in the absence of police, it’s likely - - though certainly not guaranteed - - that those who can afford it will invest more heavily in private security for businesses/personal protection/etc, whether that need is warranted or not. in the event of situations occurring that would have required police presence, you would likely see more federal law enforcement/military presence. worst-case, imagine a country led by someone like our current president where the only option is to send in federal agents and believe me, you don’t want that.) neither do you probably actually want to call for a mass exodus of police of their own volition. i can tell you right now the ones you want out wouldn’t be leaving. you’d be left with departments entirely composed of people with no qualms about excessive force. you WANT those people staying on the force, and you WANT them to have the resources they need to report on fellow officers when needed. 

it’s also just not likely to happen in any widespead way. not in our current society. if you want to create real change, there are other things that need to be addressed, campaigned for, and fixed. things which will not be fixed if we’re trying to focus on overly simple answers for deeply complex problems.

this isn’t to disagree with the notion of reallocating funding to benefit schools/public services/etc. i think that’s entirely necessary. but there’s more to the story than simply cutting funding. 

police need to address and apologize for excessive use of force and abuse over the history of policing. if not for individual officers who may or may not have participated, than for the historical precedent as a whole. pretending there isn’t a problem isn’t a help to anyone. 

as i’ve said multiple times in the past, police unions and those who negotiate with them make it notoriously difficult for departments to get rid of officers with complaints against them. the department in minneapolis is headed by a black chief of police who had sued his own department based on issues of race in the past. he should have been able to get rid of officers like c.hauvin with no issues and yet....obviously, that man was still on the force. there need to be ways for a.) departments to fire problem officers without someone over their heads reinstating them and b.) ways for officers to report on their fellow officers without repercussions. i can tell you right now that those methods don’t currently exist in any wide-spread or efficient/effective form.

body cams, dash cams, and other oversight tools need to a.) be “sold” more effectively to the police as measures of protecting BOTH themselves AND the citizens they serve. there ALSO need to be real consequences for tampering with these, turning them off, etc.

police need more training and they need higher-quality recruits. understaffed departments lead to issues you’ll see in places like flint, where it can take three hours or more for police to respond to a call. not because they’re (most of the time) doing anything wrong, but because there aren’t enough of them in comparison to the total population. this could include decisions like requiring college or college-like degrees, but that would also mean higher pay for police officers. which i realize isn’t a popular idea at the moment, but is a fact of those requirements. (furthermore, many city police in small to mid size cities, not to mention suburban police, don’t have adequate crowd-control training. this is not an excuse for the way police have been handling crowds in recent days, but it is something that has come up in discussions. many of them are reacting with excessive crowd-control measures where lesser measures were needed.) this training should absolutely include recognizing police brutality in the past, the racism in the system as a whole, recognition and response to explicit and implicit bias, recognizing mental health issues, etc. training is a problem every law-enforcement officer i’ve spoken to in the last few weeks, in an attempt to understand what’s happening, has brought up. the people i’ve spoken to have dedicated their lives to establishing mental health education for police, who have actively removed aggressive or racist officers in the past, etc. they’re just as frustrated and angry with the reactions police are displaying as you and i are. and they’re actively doing things to try to help. unions, government, etc make that more difficult than it should be. 

many police, particularly in large cities, don’t live in the cities/neighborhoods they’re policing. (many smaller, particularly suburban, departments require that their officers live in the town they work in.) sometimes this is because they can’t afford to (nypd officers start at around  $42,500/year - about $3,541/month or  $885/week BEFORE tax -  in a city where the median rent for a studio apartment sits at about  $2,700/month. these officers can obviously make more as they spend more time on the force, but that’s the stated starting salary according to their website. the salary after 5 1/2 years is $85,292). this means they don’t know the areas/people/etc they’re policing, are more likely to make snap judgments based on false information, etc. it wouldn’t solve everything, but rules for employment regarding residency could mean better policing in cities and their neighborhoods. 

for a profession that includes seeing things like scenes of murders, assaults, suicides, and wellness checks that lead to decomposing bodies, mental health care for police is abysmal. i mean it’s....bad in the u.s. in general, but it’s notoriously bad for active-duty military, veterans, and first responders...including police. this isn’t to mention that officers who self-report mental health problems are often put on leave rather than given the resources they need. this means compounded stress, trauma, etc, going unaddressed in a highly dangerous and stressful profession.

police DO handle more than they likely SHOULD be handling, including things like wellness checks, nonviolent domestic disputes, etc. more often than not, they’re doing so without specialized training for those situations. these should absolutely be divided out into unarmed (or lightly armed, i.e. with pepper spray etc), specially trained units. you’re still going to want armed police units to exist in the u.s. - - i can tell you for a fact that in my fairly quiet suburban hometown ALONE there have been active shooter/barricade/hostage situations that could not be deescalated without use of force, despite attempts to do so.

qualified immunity needs reform. you can read more about that here. this allows not only for officers to get away with police brutality, but for all public officials to get away with a wide range of crimes. 

we need to campaign for citizens to be integrated into police oversight. police are paid by taxpayer dollars, and they are meant to serve and protect the people. again, this is an issue for your local government and police unions. when you’re communicating with gov’t officials, make it clear that you want something like this implemented. 

and, yes, there need to be strong and immediate consequences for excessive use of force. 

i’m not saying any of this to make it seem like police brutality or the racism inherent in the law enforcement and justice systems doesn’t exist. it does, and it needs to be addressed. what i am saying is that addressing that is a more complex problem that requires deeper thought for successful reform. Black people, particularly men, are at leas 3x more likely to experience police brutality, and that needs to end. 

tl;dr, some things to be aware of, petition for, etc: 

charging and convicting police brutality as a crime (with the understanding that this means it should be treated as any crime in a court of law)

holding all first responders accountable for their actions.

allowing and enabling officers to respond to police brutality they’re witnessing, including training on how to intervene, better reporting methods, policies that would not punish them for reporting, etc 

reform in police unions

better police training in general

national standards for police training (believe it or not, these don’t currently exist)

better mental health care and mental health policies for police and other first responders 

citizen involvement, including in oversight

voting in state and local elections for officials who have plans to respond to these issues, and who are actively listening to their constituents 

reallocation of funding so that the funding is more equally spread to education and community support

Some Sources/ Further Reading: 

“How to reform American police, according to experts” from Vox

Police officer salary and benefits, NY Gov

“Adopt minimum national police use-of-force standards and train cops for interaction” USA Today

“‘An Impossible Situation’: How Chief Arradondo Has Struggled To Change The Minneapolis Police Department” CBS Minnesota

“What We Should Expect of the Police: Experts Weigh In On Recent Police Violence,” Center for American Progress

Police Reform, The Flip Side

The Center for Policing Equity

[tanstaaflaos]

A rant from Trump supporters

The following is a cut and paste from someone I know on Facebook.  In short, they don’t particularly like Trump but like liberals and progressive ideas even less.  They justify their vote for Trump as giving a finger to liberals and the media, rather than supporting Trump.  In short, a very selfish and short-sighted mentality that is unfortunately prevalent in today’s world.  These folks will continue to vote against their own interests if it means they can “win” while sticking it to the liberals.  Here’s the rant:

🛑 STOP! 🛑 EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS ⬇️ If you are a liberal who can’t stand Trump, and cannot possibly fathom why anyone would ever vote for him, let me fill you in. It’s not that we love Donald Trump so much. It’s that we can’t stand you. And we will do whatever it takes — even if that means electing a rude, obnoxious, unpredictable, narcissist (your words not ours) to the office of President of the United States — because the thing we find more dangerous to this nation than Donald Trump is YOU. How is that possible you might ask? Well, you have done everything in your power to destroy our country. From tearing down the police, to tearing down our history, to tearing down our borders. From systematically destroying our schools and brainwashing our kids into believing socialism is the answer to anything (despite being an unmitigated failure everywhere), while demonizing religion and faith, and glorifying abortion, violence, and thug culture. From calling us racists every time we expect everyone of any skin color to follow our laws equally, to telling us that our “tolerance” of lifestyles we don’t agree with isn’t nearly enough — no we must “celebrate” any lifestyle choice or gender option (forget science) you throw our direction or you think it’s fine to calls us homophobic or some other degrading slur you decide is okay to call us — ironically all while lecturing us on hate speech. While you gaslight us about 52 genders, polyamory, grown men in dresses sharing public locker rooms with little girls, and normalize the sexualization of young children, you simultaneously ridicule us for having the audacity to wish someone a “Merry Christmas” or hang a flag on the 4th of July, stand for the national anthem, or (horror of horrors) don a MAGA hat in public. So much for your “tolerance.” (See why we think you are just hypocrites??) We’re also not interested in the fact that you think you can unilaterally decide that 250 years of the right-to-bear-arms against a tyrannical or ineffective government should be abolished because you can’t get the violence in the cities you manage under control. That free-speech should be tossed out the window, and that those who disagree with your opinions are fair game for public harassment or doxing. That spoiled children with nose-rings and tats who still live off their parent’s dime should be allowed to destroy cities and peoples livelihoods without repercussions. That chaos, and lawlessness, and disrespect for authority should be the norm. This is your agenda. And you wonder why we find you more dangerous than Donald Trump? Your narrative is a constant drone of oppressor/oppressed race-baiting intended to divide the country in as many ways as you possibly can. You love to sell “victim-hood” to people of color every chance you get because it’s such an easy sell, compared to actually teaching people to stand on their own two feet and take personal responsibility for their own lives and their own communities and their own futures. But you won’t do that, you will never do that, because then you will lose control over people of color. They might actually start thinking for themselves, God forbid! This is why we will vote for Donald Trump. Not because he is the most charming character on the block. Not because he is the most polite politician to have ever graced the oval office. Not because he is the most palatable choice, or because we love his moral character or because the man never lies, but because we are sick to death of you and all of the destructive crap you are doing to this once beautiful and relatively safe country. Your ineffective and completely dysfunctional liberal “leadership”(?) has literally destroyed our most beautiful cities, our public education system, and done it’s damndest to rip faith out of people’s lives. However bad Donald Trump may be, and he is far from perfect, every day we look at you and feel that no matter what Donald Trump says or does there is no possible way he could be any worse for our country than you people are. We are sick to death of your stupid, destructive, ignorant, and intolerant behavior and beliefs — parading as “wokeness.” We are beyond sick of your hypocrisy and B.S. We are fed up with your disrespectful divisiveness and constant unrelenting harping and whining and complaining (while you live in the most privileged nation in the world), while making literally zero contributions of anything positive to our society. Your entire focus is on ripping things down, never ever building anything up. Think about that as there is something fundamentally very wrong in the psychology of people who choose destruction as their primary modus operandi. When Donald J Trump is reelected, don’t blame us, look in the mirror and blame yourselves. Because you are the ones that are responsible for the rise of Donald Trump. You are the ones who have created this "monster" that you so despise, by your very actions. By your refusal to respect your fellow Americans, and the things that are important to us. You have made fun of the “fly-over states,” the people who “cling to their guns and religion,” the middle class factory workers and coal miners and underprivileged rural populations that you dismissively call “yahoos” and “deplorables.” You have mocked our faith and our religion. You have mocked our values and our patriotism. You have trampled our flag and insulted our veterans and treated our first responders with contempt and hatred. You have made environmentalism your religion, while trashing every city you have taken responsibility for. You scream from the rooftops about “global warming” and a “green new deal” while allowing tens of thousands of homeless people to cover your streets in literal sh!t and garbage and needles and plastic waste without doing a single thing to help them or solve the environmental crisis your failed social policies are creating. But we’re supposed to put YOU in charge of the environment while gutting our entire economy to institute this plan when you can’t even clean up a single city?? You complain — endlessly — yet have failed to solve a single social problem anywhere. In fact, all you have done is create more of them. We’ve had enough. We are tired of quietly sitting by and being the “silent” majority. So don’t be surprised when the day comes when we finally respond. And trust me it’s coming, sooner than you might think. And also trust me when I say it won’t be pretty. Get ready. When Donald Trump is reelected it will be because you and your “comrades” have chosen to trash the police, harass law-abiding citizens, and go on rampages destroying public property that we have all paid for and you have zero respect for. When Donald Trump is reelected it will be because we are sick of your complete and utter nonsense and destruction. How does it feel to know that half of this country finds you FAR more despicable than Donald J. Trump, the man you consider to be the anti-Christ? Let that sink in. We consider you to be more despicable, more dangerous, more stupid, and more narcissistic than Donald Trump. Maybe allow yourself a few seconds of self-reflection to let that sink in. This election isn’t about Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden. This is about Donald Trump vs YOU. So if on the morning of November 4 (or more likely January 19, by the time the Supreme Court will weigh in on the mail-in ballot fiasco that we are headed towards), and Donald J. Trump is reelected? The only people you have to blame is the left-wing media drones and yourselves. You did this. Yep you. I copied and shared this and if you give a shit about your country then you should too.

[djchucklaross]

Baptizing American Sin

As I sit here I reflect on a conversation I had with my friend. He began this conversation with me by simply asking “Charles what do you think of all of this”?  I took a moment to gather my thoughts but it was at that moment I was momentarily paralyzed with a loss of words. I remained silent for a little while longer. Noticing the silence he asked “Bro like what are your thoughts with the shit that's going on”? Hearing the question phrased in this fashion I was able to formulate some thoughts. I moved to change these thoughts into words.  I began to answer his question by saying “ I wish I could say that I am surprised but sadly that is not the truth. In fact, I am not.” This response caught him off guard a little so he asked me “ What do you mean by that” I told him “look what do you expect? A pandemic has caused people to remain in isolation in their homes since the beginning of March. And even in this nationwide and global pandemic, Black Americans continue to face the same racial injustices, marginalization, inequities, and inequalities they have experienced for the past 400 years”.    

    Now for the purpose of this, I do not want to go into the conversation that ensued following this statement I made. However, I want to focus on the element that I was not surprised.  Let me tell you why these murders, public killings, and spectacle lynchings are just scratching on the surface. Do not get it twisted I am not making light of these deaths. But what I am saying the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmed Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Paris Cameron, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Brooklyn Lindsey, Mike Brown, Tony McDade, and so many countless other Black Americans are parts of a much greater evil system. And these deaths are enabled and are permitted by the greatest sin of America which was the institution of legalized slavery which lasted as a legal institution from 1619 until 1865. Following the abolishment of slavery America has never repented for this great sin, in fact, America continues to commit sins against Black Americans. These sins only are perpetuated and sustained by the White Capitalist Supremacy Patriarchy which manifest systemic racism. And, in this manifestation, Black Americans continue to face inequalities, inequities, disenfranchisement, marginalization, hatred, and death. These traumas are apparent and urgent. But how do we move forward and transform?             

Before we transform we must remember something. And, that is before we are Black, White Latinx, Arab, Asian, etc we are HUMANS. And, I don’t write this to be corny, cliché, or ‘colorblind’. However, I say this as the realization we are humans who coinhabit this planet, and currently, the way we are living is not sustainable. With this realization, we need to figure this out! In addition to this realization that we are all humans, we must address that there is a system in place to keep Black Americans from gaining economic and political freedom. Also, this same system restricts Black Americans from truly living free in a country they built. WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THIS FACT. WE CAN NO LONGER REMAIN PASSIVE. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE CALL A SPADE A SPADE. The spade is the WHITE CAPITALIST SUPREMACY PATRIARCHY.              The system of the  WHITE CAPITALIST SUPREMACY PATRIARCHY is a system that affects our daily lives. Racism is not the only kryptonite that suffocates Black lives, but it is a part of a system. Capitalism, patriarchal masculinity, American hegemonic values, and racism are the variables that drastically hinder Black life. However, I firmly believe we can change this system. I have faith in the people of this country. America has rallied on multiple occasions. Now more than ever is a time to rally. Our rally call now is liberation. We must liberate every American citizen to create a society in which every citizen feels to live free.      

  So how do we move forward? How does America get baptized to wash away its original sin? To be honest I do not have a real answer to this question because the system of oppression has existed for centuries. But, what I do have is a start to dismantling this system. Like I said previously we must first address and acknowledge that such an institutional system exist. And then something different. It’s a very philosophical and abstract idea because we live in a world that operates on a binary either you’re right or wrong, you are good or bad, you are Black or white, there is just and unjust, and finally yes or no. But the reality is no one truly lives on one side of the spectrum the majority of people operate in the grey. And given this fact, people have their own ideas, experiences, biases, prejudices, and perspectives. However, given this binary, we are conditioned to think and believe certain ‘truths’ the problem with this way of thinking it avoids conversations and discourse.  We need to enter the zone of proximity and have deliberate and challenging conversations.         

    Therefore in these conversations, it is imperative that we do not cancel people. Meaning, we cannot call people out but we must call people in. Calling a person out is a tool of alienation. Therefore, we must call people in. If a person goofs up don’t criticize or chastise them but rather provide constructive criticism. With this being said, it is vital, WE CANNOT BE SOFT WE HAVE TO ACCEPT CRITICISM AND LEARN FROM IT. Now, conversations only go so far.WE MUST ALSO QUESTION and ACT. What should we question and act upon? To begin with, how can we create equitable economic opportunities for EVERY CITIZEN? How do we educate our children? How do we fund our public school system?  How do we police our citizens? How do we disrupt the current housing structure that systematically displaces Black folks? These questions are very broad strokes on the painting of oppression. However, I believe these strokes are important. Along, with these questions, we must also act. We act by voting, and not just for presidential elections but also for LOCAL ELECTIONS. In addition, we need to be politically active writing and calling our local politicians.We must fight for representation and diverse voices and faces in every field. We must write and create! We must work to educate. Not only do we educate but we must also be liberatory educators. Meaning, we allow for folks to question and to think.                 

Ultimately, I believe it comes down to seeing the world and your life in a different way. We begin to see differently we enter the zone of proximity. We have to get close to people. We have to have conversations that are hard and uncomfortable. More than anything we have to know each other. Like the magnificent bell hooks said “ When we drop fear, we can draw nearer to people, we can draw nearer to the earth, we can draw nearer to all the heavenly creatures that surround us”. That is how we baptize ourselves.

[bolbiistroganovsky]

I’m drunk so here are my hot takes:

Ghost and Hozier’s music is basic pop and not as good and subversive as y’all say it is

If you’re having panic attacks about Corona daily or being a woman daily or anything daily, no offense but the world doesn’t suck THAT bad and even if it did that’s not an appropriate response and you should probably talk to a therapist about anxiety

Micro labels are stupid and so is the split attraction model and they’re all based on the queerphobic idea that our identities are inherently more sexual than others

Just because someone is marginalized doesn’t mean they’re always right and especially doesn’t mean they’re always the victim in a situation. Minorities are capable of doing bad things too, even to a member of an oppressor class

Please for the love of god y’all need to learn to read things before forming opinions. If you read something on the internet, fact check it. It’s probably wrong tbh and even if it isn’t it’s probably phrased in a misleading way

Joe Biden fucking sucks but you should still vote for him

We talk a lot about homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, etc on here. You know what we don’t talk about that’s worse than all of these by miles? Classism. Literally we could end all minority based discrimination tomorrow and the world would still suck ass cause of classism.

I’m gonna day it again. Music y’all go “feral” for isn’t that good. Listen to Rett Madison and like live a little.

I don’t want communism cause it’s never worked before and I especially don’t trust this country to get it right.

As badly as y’all wanna be the main character, the USA isn’t a dystopia yet and whining on the internet isn’t gonna do anything to stop that train if it is. Like y’all have to be willing to put some skin in the game if you want change. Every successful movement in history has seen people lose jobs, burn bridges, end relationships, unfortunately even die. This isn’t gonna be any different. Peaceful protesting and voting isn’t gonna cut it sorry about it. If you want radical change put your money where your mouth is and do it.

I think someone needs to assassinate trump at this point. Like take one for the team. I can’t believe no one has even tried. Like chop chop

Police reform or even police abolishment doesn’t mean shit if the school to prison pipeline and private prisons still exist. A lot of people don’t talk about that especially outside sj circles

Public education based on property taxes is the number one way social class is maintained in this country. Number one. Quote me

Additionally, reforming public education without providing free summer programming and preschool won’t close the gap

I’m tired of podcasts. I’m too adhd for that

Someone should also kill Jeff bezos. Let’s capitalize on that estate tax

Teddy trust buster Roosevelt would’ve broken up amazon google and Facebook rn

I wish the Reagan assasination attempt had been successful

I really think the US was on the right track until he became president and set us back about one hundred years

People who are in their twenties and still make fun of people who “peaked” in high school are still just insecure and jealous of what they missed out on. Like have some fun and get drunk w former lax players and stop having the most rancid vibes on the planet

It actually is hard being not skinny but not fat. Like worst of both worlds tbh

If you buy a car worth more than $35k you’re a fucking idiot being swindled by consumerism

Seriously I cannot stress enough how annoyed I was by Ghost’s music. Like not nearly as cool as I thought it’d be. And I know I have taste

[beinglibertarian]

Top 20 Being Libertarian Articles of 2018

It’s been an amazing year overall for us here at Being Libertarian LLC, and we wanted to wrap the year up with a list of our top articles from 2018. We definitely want to thank each and every author for their contributions throughout the year. Here they are for your reading pleasure, and definitely keep your eyes out for all of the great content we have planned for you in the year ahead. Enjoy!

1. ‘Rampant Voter Fraud’, Florida Gov. Scott Files Lawsuits After Uncovering 100,000 New Ballots

Author: Alex Croft

“Broward County stated on election night that there were 634,000 votes cast that day. As of 1 pm Thursday, that number was corrected to 695,700 and again later that day at 2:30 pm to 707,223. Thursday evening saw that number jump further to 712,840, as Palm Beach County claimed to find over 15,000 previously untallied votes.”

2. Want A Gun For ‘Self-Defense’? That Will Soon Be Illegal In South Africa

Author: Martin van Staden

“If this bill is passed into law in its current form, it will likely make it impossible for those who acquired their licences for the purpose of self-defense unable to renew those licences, which is required on a periodic basis. Aspirant firearm owners would be barred completely from using guns as a tool to defend themselves going forward.”

3. JuSt cAlL ThE PoLicE

Author: Mike Ursery

“Bloom ruled that the school district and the sheriff’s office had no constitutional duty to protect students not in custody. She wrote in her ruling that Cruz was a third party and not a state actor and that for the duty of protecting plaintiffs to exist, they would have to be in custody, such as prisoners or patients at a mental hospital.”

4. The Truth About Gun Violence

Author: Vinny Marshall

“Historically, what we can learn from past attempts to remove or regulate ownership rights of firearms from citizens is that it doesn’t do a whole lot to actually affect the rates of violence that exist, only the rates of violence with the weapon that you had set out to ban.”

5. Misconceptions of the Libertarian View of Abortion

Author: Nathan Kreider

“Block and Whitehead argue that a woman has the right to evict the fetus, but not to terminate it if it’s possible for the fetus to exist outside the womb with the help of medical technology. They point out that as technology advances, the point at which a fetus can exist outside the womb will inch closer to earlier stages of development, and thus the earlier the limit on abortions will be placed.”

6. The Dangers of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Author: Jenny Grimberg

“We examine three of her policy proposals to show that not only are they incorrect, but also to remind everyone that capitalism has helped millions of people, and we should not be taken in by the socialist tendencies of politicians like Ocasio-Cortez.”

7. The March for Our Tyranny – The Lowdown on Liberty

Author: Thomas J. Eckert

“And therein lies the problem: the anti-gun crowd wants solutions to their perceived problems, but how can we begin a discussion with a group so disingenuous about their intentions? It’s like trying to speak to a pickpocket as they reach for your wallet. As you ask them what they’re up to, they may reassure you they mean no harm and accuse you of being paranoid, but the truth is that in the end they want your wallet, regardless of what they say.”

8. Why People Are Left Wing – Freedom Philosophy

Author: Brandon Kirby

“I believe something similar has happened to the left. They very passionately want to abolish poverty, perhaps in some cases even more so than the right. Just as the greediest investor is not the most successful investor, the most passionate people aren’t the ones with the best ideas on how to accomplish this goal.”

9. The Rise of Jordan Peterson – What It Says About Us

Author: Adam Barsouk

“I believe Peterson’s claim to ideological fame is his seeming lack of interest in it. Most political pundits start and end their careers in politics. And yet, politics inherently do not produce any economic value—the entire essence of the job is to steal another’s earning while convincing that person it is for their own good.”

10. No, Vaccines Should Never Be Mandatory

Author: JSB Morse

“As with any medication or pharmaceutical, there are health risks that come with the benefits of vaccines. It is irresponsible to suggest that all people should get all such pharmaceuticals and it is illegitimate use of governmental authority to require it in order to receive benefits or other privileges.”

11. Jordan B. Peterson’s Twelve Rules is a Wakeup Call for a Nightmare Society

Author: JSB Morse

“We have collectively been lulled into an unnatural and inhumane philosophy of life through various diabolical agents. Twelve Rules is an urgently needed wake-up call for us to stand up and take responsibility for one’s life—not 50% or “just enough to get by,” but everything you can muster—100%.”

12. GM Cuts Over 10,000 Jobs, & No, It’s Not All Due To Tariffs

Author: Vinny Marshall

“While those who take issue with tariffs will be quick to point out the economic policy handed down by the Trump administration as the primary cause of the downsizing currently being undertaken by American automakers, tariffs seem to only be a portion of the issue at hand. Yes, the tariffs play a role as GM and Ford have both stated tariffs on steel have cost the company upwards of $1 Billion, and Toyota claims the tariffs will raise the cost of popular models by $1-3k dollars. However, tariffs do not seem to be the primary issue in this case.”

13. It’s Time to Focus on the ‘School’ in ‘School Shooting’ – The Lowdown on Liberty

Author: Thomas J. Eckert

“No matter how you slice it, it’s impossible to examine what we know about school shootings with any objective measure and not conclude that public schools may be a large contributing factor. The only problem is that new solutions seem to be unwelcome in – what feels like – a never-ending conversation.”

14. Liberty at Sea – Red Dirt Liberty Report

Author: Danny Chabino

“Many people are looking to the concept of “seasteading” as a new bold adventure into free societies that exist outside the hands of existing governing bodies. Seasteading is as it sounds – making a home on the open seas, sometimes in international waters, where no particular government is in charge, and sometimes by negotiated means in a free economic zone that has been established.”

15. FCC Lied About DDoS Attack to Downplay Opposition of Net Neutrality Repeal

Author: Alon Ganon

“Unfortunately, it appears that the Pai led FCC is sounding like they have no plans to tell the public what truly happened or whether they had lied, as it appears the FCC has gone silent about the issue.”

16. Why Only Stupid People Propose Taxing Churches – Freedom Philosophy

Author: Brandon Kirby

“Governments tax profits. They tax income. When a pastor takes out an income from the church they must pay taxes on it. Canada has decided that money going to a non-profit organization is not considered income, for the organization and the one giving the money, so donations are a tax deduction. Religious ministers, unless they’ve taken a vow of poverty, aren’t being given a free ride on taxation, the ones whose tax returns I’ve filled out seem to be as aggravated as the rest of us on tax day.”

17. Sexualized Content: Revival of Puritanism

Author: Killian Hobbs

“With Facebook joining this decision despite having no such issues themselves in recent history it seems like little more than the revival of Puritan thinking. Once again, the social media platforms we frequent daily are deciding for us what is an is not appropriate content. This is a decision that shouldn’t be left in the hands of a small handful of companies, but rather in the hands of the users.”

18. Before You Go To University: Top 10 Logical Fallacies

Author: Brandon Kirby

“The wonderful thing about logic is that when practiced properly it finds falsehood against which there is no response. People who are found guilty of these fallacies have false arguments. Professors, scientists, economists, politicians, pastors, even philosophers, who make such fallacies can have their arguments that take this form immediately dismissed without further discussion.”

19. The Self-Destructive Nature of the Libertarian Party

Author: Jake Dorsch

“If you pay any attention to Libertarian Party politics, you would know there are far more gaffes than this that I could mention just from Gary Johnson alone. That said, I like the people I mentioned here and I think the named people would make excellent governors and senators.”

20. GoFundMe For Trump’s Border Wall. Sadly, It’s True.

Author: Killian Hobbs

“In my personal opinion, this is both a good and a bad thing. It raises many questions about the mindsets of the average American that is donating the funds directly out of their own pocket towards this campaign. Despite the general uselessness such a wall would actually have compared to say additional border staff or the like (if their intention is to truly increase border defense) they still are making large donations. The one upside to this, however, is that if it does work it will open the American public’s eyes to a notion that we Libertarians have been espousing for years: fund these things yourself rather than using our tax dollars towards it.”

The post Top 20 Being Libertarian Articles of 2018 appeared first on Being Libertarian.

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[fluffyotters]

So what do we do about it? Even though I’m an expert on bastardism, I am not a public policy expert nor an expert in organizing a post-police society. So, before I give some suggestions, let me tell you what probably won’t solve the problem of bastard cops:

Increased “bias” training. A quarterly or even monthly training session is not capable of covering over years of trauma-based camaraderie in police forces. I can tell you from experience, we don’t take it seriously, the proctors let us cheat on whatever “tests” there are, and we all made fun of it later over coffee.

Tougher laws. I hope you understand by now, cops do not follow the law and will not hold each other accountable to the law. Tougher laws are all the more reason to circle the wagons and protect your brothers and sisters.

More community policing programs. Yes, there is a marginal effect when a few cops get to know members of the community, but look at the protests of 2020: many of the cops pepper-spraying journalists were probably the nice school cop a month ago.

Police officers do not protect and serve people, they protect and serve the status quo, “polite society”, and private property. Using the incremental mechanisms of the status quo will never reform the police because the status quo relies on police violence to exist. Capitalism requires a permanent underclass to exploit for cheap labor and it requires the cops to bring that underclass to heel.

Instead of wasting time with minor tweaks, I recommend exploring the following ideas:

No more qualified immunity. Police officers should be personally liable for all decisions they make in the line of duty.

No more civil asset forfeiture. Did you know that every year, citizens like you lose more cash and property to unaccountable civil asset forfeiture than to all burglaries combined? The police can steal your stuff without charging you with a crime and it makes some police departments very rich.

Break the power of police unions. Police unions make it nearly impossible to fire bad cops and incentivize protecting them to protect the power of the union. A police union is not a labor union; police officers are powerful state agents, not exploited workers.

Require malpractice insurance. Doctors must pay for insurance in case they botch a surgery, police officers should do the same for botching a police raid or other use of force. If human decency won’t motivate police to respect human life, perhaps hitting their wallet might.

Defund, demilitarize, and disarm cops. Thousands of police departments own assault rifles, armored personnel carriers, and stuff you’d see in a warzone. Police officers have grants and huge budgets to spend on guns, ammo, body armor, and combat training. 99% of calls for service require no armed response, yet when all you have is a gun, every problem feels like target practice. Cities are not safer when unaccountable bullies have a monopoly on state violence and the equipment to execute that monopoly.

One final idea: consider abolishing the police.

I’m not telling you I have the blueprint for a beautiful new world. What I’m telling you is that the system we have right now is broken beyond repair and that it’s time to consider new ways of doing community together. Those new ways need to be negotiated by members of those communities, particularly Black, indigenous, disabled, houseless, and citizens of color historically shoved into the margins of society. Instead of letting Fox News fill your head with nightmares about Hispanic gangs, ask the Hispanic community what they need to thrive. Instead of letting racist politicians scaremonger about pro-Black demonstrators, ask the Black community what they need to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. If you truly desire safety, ask not what your most vulnerable can do for the community, ask what the community can do for the most vulnerable.

“I was a police officer for nearly ten years and I was a bastard. We all were.

“This essay has been kicking around in my head for years now and I’ve never felt confident enough to write it. It’s a time in my life I’m ashamed of. It’s a time that I hurt people and, through inaction, allowed others to be hurt. It’s a time that I acted as a violent agent of capitalism and white supremacy. Under the guise of public safety, I personally ruined people’s lives but in so doing, made the public no safer… so did the family members and close friends of mine who also bore the badge alongside me.

“But enough is enough.

“The reforms aren’t working. Incrementalism isn’t happening. Unarmed Black, indigenous, and people of color are being killed by cops in the streets and the police are savagely attacking the people protesting these murders.

“American policing is a thick blue tumor strangling the life from our communities and if you don’t believe it when the poor and the marginalized say it, if you don’t believe it when you see cops across the country shooting journalists with less-lethal bullets and caustic chemicals, maybe you’ll believe it when you hear it straight from the pig’s mouth.”

Read the full article here.

Via medium.com

[falsemerits]

“I kept track of the violence done to Black people in my city, Toronto, and my country, Canada, as if it was being done to me, because it was, because it is, because that’s what Black people are facing in Canada and around the world, and I’d never been more aware of it.”

When Desmond tells of the violence that is happening to him metaphorically, through others who are experiencing it physically- All across Canada, I recognize this as truth. He is not being selfish in feeling that this violence is also done unto him, as it is for the person physically involved. It would be selfish to think that he could not relate, because that is not his problem in the moment. It would be selfish if because he lives in Toronto, and violence in British Columbia against Black people happens, that it has nothing to do with him. I will liken this to an experience of my own, and challenge others to think abstractly and connect the dots. September 11, 2001- A day of destruction, alleged terrorism, and global fear. I remember being in class when this happened, and my sixth grade teacher asked us to take a moment of silence for it and to discuss the event. This had nothing to do with Canada. I was not involved with these families that suffered, or the government that protected them. I was a little 10 year old girl, who only knew that if my dad, mom, uncle, aunt, or whoever I loved was in that tower that I would feel tragedy. To me, that is why I sympathized with this event. Because if something similar happened in my country, I would hope that others would share my same feelings.

Being metis, I share the same feelings that Desmond does for the violence Black people experience daily. Indigenous people are being profiled, and abused every day as well. Our causes are similar. I cannot attest that our origin stories are the exact same. I cannot say that one is more pressing than the other. All I know is that, if I can feel suffering for my ancestors, then I can share the same feelings with immigrants who were taken from their countries, forced into slavery, made to start their lives in North America, and to continue to be robbed of honour and respect every single day.

“A CBC News investigation that analyzed 461 fatal civilian encounters with police between 2000 - 2017 found that “70 percent of people who died struggled with mental health issues or substance abuse or both.” The combination of this violence with the police targeting of Black people makes Black people with mental health issues more likely to experience police violence. The CBC also found that, of the 461 deaths, “criminal charges were laid against 18 officers… With only two ending in convictions.”

To me, this is proof that our system of police and authority is grossly under trained and ill-prepared. Police are able to perform “wellness checks,” on civilians, but only when prompted by a person who has called and claimed that said person’s wellness is in question. Police feel that they do not have to assess, de-escalate, or consider external factors in an investigation, false or with merit. These are horrifyingly sad statistics, that I believe many people would just glaze over. The typical citizen doesn’t understand enough about mental health, to care about mental health. There is a culture of common socially acceptable misunderstanding, when mental health is in question. It is okay to not know. There are cues that one can detect about mental health, if given the chance. Crying, hyperventilating, excessive language, obvious frustration, resistance to identify, these are actually all signs that someone might be experiencing mental distress, or exacerbation of their pre-existing mental health condition. Police are here to enforce the protection of personal property and assets. Opting for violence against someone who is mentally unstable, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, White, Asian any race is not the answer. Protect and serve. Protect lives of police, against usually unarmed unsuspecting vulnerable people, and serve to uphold the laws that help protect officers of wrongdoing. That is what that statement means nowadays. When officers use violence against people who have mental health problems, and do not question this as a possibility first, we see why this system fails 100 percent of the time.

“In my experience, the average white Canadian doesn’t know that British and French settlers enslaved Black and Indigenous people on these lands for two centuries, and simply shifted legislative tactics once they had abolished “legal” slavery. Those who do acknowledge slavery in Canada often add that it was “not as bad as in the States,” a nod to the white Canadian proverb used as a checkmate end to a conversation. No need to consider anti-blackness here. This idea that Canada’s racial injustices are not as bad as they could be- This notion of slavery lite, of racism lite, of what my friends calls “toy version of racism”- Is a very Canadian way of saying “remember what we could do to you if we wanted to.” Passive- aggressive racism is central to Canada’s national mythology and identity. White supremacy warns Black people against setting our own standards and pursuing dreams that stray too far from the global atmosphere of anti-blackness.”

My parents were never taught this, so they never had the opportunity to educate me. Years of public school didn’t ever teach me about slavery in Canada. Not even of slavery of Indigenous people. I remember being taught about the “trading,” and “successful negotiations” that would happen among settlers and my ancestors, sometimes after battles. Settlers considered themselves to be a type of saviour, to this land. Not once, were slaves given a voice in the education system that was taught when I was growing up. The reason for this, in my opinion, is that knowingly, this information directly contradicts the “hard work,” that British and French settlers did for Canada today. These settlers are the reason we even have an education system, the same system that blindfolds it’s students. That information would be detrimental to the foundation of Canada. This misleading information, this terrible kind of education is the reason why we have violence and racism in this country. This is why racialized groups are marginalized and oppressed. White Canadian citizens feel that they are the ones that are owed thank yous, and apologies. They are owed sympathy and rewards for “letting” immigrants take shelter in this great country.

“BLM-TO co-founders and their supporters marched into the 2017 parade close to the intersection of Yonge and College street where, a year earlier, they’d interrupted the festivities to call out Pride Toronto, the not-for-profit organization that runs the annual celebrations. This time the group’s signs read, “May we never again need to remind you that we, too, are queer,” and “May we never again need to remind you that WE built this” and that “we shut it down for ALL OF US.” I remember this as righteous, bold, inspirational and powerful- But not surprising.”

I wish I could have been there to agree with them. To rally beside them, and take honour in their pride. To me, this is a reminder that the society we live in today, no longer cares about history or where we came from. It no longer cares about the pain and suffering that was experienced, to get us to where we are today. When the executive of Pride misleading signed their list of demands when BLM-TO interrupted the parade and said the next day “What I did was move the parade forward,” I get that, however I felt distrust. I felt that having pride in your own dignity meant nothing, and that people are constantly misconstruing what this means. People mistake integrity, with entitlement. They confuse honour, with gratification. This was a great reminder that, where we come from, in all walks of life, our paths should never be forgotten. It should never be disrespected or looked down on. Everything that we go through, unjust or just, shapes, molds, and builds who we are today as a civilization and individuals.

“Canadians who do recognize historical injustice seem to understand it in this way:

Bad things happened.

Bad things stopped happening and equality was achieved.

The low social and political status held by Indigenous peoples is now wholly based on the choice to be corrupt, lazy, inefficient and unsuited to the modern world.”

Desmond quotes this excerpt from Chelsea Vowel’s novel “Indigenous Writes.” This three point bulletin explains exactly how most Canadians understand their country now. It highlights that things happened, and now there is a notion that those same things no longer happen. These days when government officials in Ottawa hold press conferences, or public meetings, they say “ We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People.” I am not disagreeing that they should not acknowledge it. However, I acknowledge that it is not enough, and never will be enough. Bad things happened to these people, and they get less than 2% of Canadian soil for reserves. Acknowledging that these lands once belonged, and still rightfully belong to these nations and tribes, only serves to coddle Canadians, and dismisses the conversations that many people are still fighting to have.

[newstechreviews]

Bunkueanun ‘Francis’ Paothong, a 21-year-old bespectacled university student, is one of three protesters recently arrested under the rarely invoked section 110 of Thailand’s criminal code. The charge of violence against the queen carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, or, if the queen’s life is perceived to have been endangered, the death penalty can be applied. The protesters were attending an Oct. 14 rally when Queen Suthida’s motorcade drove by. Francis and another protester, Ekachai Hongkangwan, were arrested on Oct. 16, while child welfare activist Suranat Paenprasert was arrested the following week.

This is Francis’ account of how he wound up facing the harshest penalty levied against a demonstrator since this round of rallies against the Thai government and monarchy began in June. What follows has been edited for length and clarity.

You can say that my household is conservative in its nature. Initially, I was pretty much a conservative too.

I began to disagree with my parents when I was in senior high school. As I started reading newspapers and following American politics, I began to formulate my own opinions about how things could be if this country was still a democracy.

Three-quarters of my life have been spent under military dictatorship. At first, I did not really see any difference between democratically elected governments and military dictatorships, but at this point I am seeing that it has already had an effect on me and my future. In my mind, I began to question the government.

Read more: Why Are Thai Protesters Risking Jail to Criticize the King?

This was when I went to Canada as an exchange student. It was around the 2016 U.S. presidential debates. I recognized that whoever becomes president of the United States determines what will happen next around the world. During the debates, it dawned on me that I was drawn more to the Democrats, specifically to the ideas of Senator Bernie Sanders.

My thinking about the monarchy’s role in politics also developed over the years, although of course I still had a full-blown cry when the previous monarch, Rama IX [King Bhumibol Adulyadej], died. He was a father to our people.

My mother is a royalist through and through. While my parents believe that the king should be all powerful, that we should not touch even the issue of the monarchy, this is where I disagree. We should at least be able to talk to them about how this is going to work going forward. We are now living in the 21st century, it’s not like the Dark Ages anymore.

A week before I returned to Bangkok, when my university reopened [on Sept. 7], my parents and I had some discussions about me going to the protests. They said I could say whatever I like about [Prime Minister] Prayuth Chan-ocha or the constitution. But don’t touch the issue of the monarchy. I’ll do what I can, that’s what I said.

But by September, the whole landscape of the protests had changed and now there were these very lively, very public discussions about reforming the monarchy itself. I didn’t really know what to do. I thought I would be safe because I am more in the middle ground and not advocating for abolishing the monarchy.

Still, I tended to tell my parents I was not going to go, and they tended to believe me. But at the Oct. 14 protest, well—it was evident with my face on TV as the royal motorcade went by.

On that day, I was going to the protest, sure, but I was also there with a group called Anti One China-Thailand and we went to sell our merchandise to fund raise. But when we got to the Government House there was a whole series of events that transpired that resulted in me getting charged.

The police tried to move my friend away, grabbing her by the back and causing her to fall to the ground. That’s when I started using my megaphone. In the next 10 minutes, the police formed into what looked like what was about to be an anti-riot operation. The police started charging and the protesters moved in, and there I was in the middle. The next thing I knew, I saw the royal motorcade coming from over the police’s shoulder.

I was like, sh-t. Because something is bound to be wrong if you’re in front of the royal motorcade.

Read more: Meet the Lawyer Trying to Reform the Thai Monarchy

I tried to calmly tell the protesters to move away from the police barriers so that the royal motorcade could move through. People flashed the three-finger salute [from the Hunger Games]. Some shouted “My taxes!” meaning is like, hey, we are taxpayers, we should be able to have a say in running this country too.

The instant my parents saw me on TV they called me. They began to shout, ‘Francis, go back home.’ They told me they were coming to [Bangkok to] check on me. It was maybe a three or four-hour drive from my hometown. When I got back to my apartment, they were there and gave me an earful about how I should not have been [at the protest] in the first place. There was a lot of shouting. We fought for well over two hours.

It was the next day that I found out I was being charged.

I was reading a Thai language news outlet called Matichon and they had some details about the arrest warrant for Ekachai Hongkangwan and myself on charges of harming the queen’s liberty, section 110. When I saw the charges I was like f–k me, excuse my language, but I was dumbstruck. Protesters have been facing different charges, like maybe section 116 [for sedition] and section 112 [lese majeste] and violations of the public gatherings act and some other things like that. But these charges—oh God. Those who harm the queen’s liberty or intend to harm the queen’s liberty will face the jail time no less than 16 years up to life imprisonment. How the hell?

I told my mum about it. I had her read the news. And she began to panic.

Lillian SUWANRUMPHA—AFP/Getty Images Activist Bunkueanun “Francis” Paothong (C) comforts loved ones before he enters the Dusit Police Station to answer charges of harming Thailand’s Queen Suthida in Bangkok on Oct. 16, 2020.

The lawyers I called were from the group called Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. They usually handle cases with political prisoners and stuff like that. They told me in all their years of working as attorneys they had never seen a case like this before. There’s not even been a mention of it in the Thai Supreme Court mind you. The last time it was used against a common man was maybe more than 100 years ago? I didn’t know what to do until my mother called one of my relatives who used to be a police officer working in the courts. And he said you should turn yourself in tomorrow morning.

Friends who knew of my situation that night came by my apartment to try to console me.

It was well into midnight that I began my prayer. I thought to myself that whatever happens from now on, it will be a struggle. I am not a Christian man myself. But the prayer gave me comfort and strength.

The next morning, at maybe 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. I went to the police station with my parents. I kept thinking, ‘Well, whatever happens I have to face it.’ My lawyers already told me that I should not be hoping too much.

After I reported myself to the police, they arranged a car for me to bring me to the Border Patrol Police Region One headquarters, in Pathum Thani, the neighboring region of Bangkok. They brought me into an auditorium they had prepared specifically for handling the protests. They allowed only my lawyers and my parents to join me. We arrived there around noon. Ekachai, the co-defendant, came a bit later.

I knew outside, the protests were escalating. But there was nothing I could do except wonder what would happen next. I went to sleep at 8:00 p.m.

Around four hours later, I was woken up by another group of protesters that the police had brought in. It was two prominent protest leaders: Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree and his boyfriend James Panumas Singprom and some other people. I went to see if they were OK. And Tattep said to me, [your] case is so bad. He said, ‘Don’t worry. We will fight for you.’

There were some opposition members of parliament coming to visit me. [Opposition MP and activist] Rangsiman Rome came and said to me it is really, really cruel what you have gone through. And I know it is. But I was in good spirits. I was still cracking jokes at that time. At this point, I just thought how historically perverted it is that I am one of the first being charged with this.

Read more: Why This Thai Billionaire Is Risking It All to Back Reform

I was woken up again at 5:25 a.m. by the officers. I asked them if it was time to go to the criminal court now. They said yes.

While I was waiting one of the officers there told me something I didn’t really expect. The border police officer said, “I am rooting for you, so keeping fighting on. I believe in your innocence.” I said thank you.

This was my first time being in a court. My first time being detained. My first time being charged. I didn’t really have any expectations about it.

It was a very long day indeed. A lot of people came in. There were defendants all over the place. Some of them were charged with trying to harm others. Some of them were in possession of narcotics and stuff like that. There were some good people in there, they just wanted some money.

There was no hope for me to get a bail out. Everybody said so. Even Ekachai said so.

I didn’t know who Ekachai was until someone told me was a defendant in a previous, lese majeste case. He already went to jail once. He gave me a lot of advice.

Right before the prison transfer, the bail decision came. And I got out. [Ekachai did not make bail].

Now I have to wait for the evidence against me to be revealed. I have to report to the court on Dec. 4. But at this point I am more than hopeful that this case will be dismissed, or that my innocence will be proven should it proceed. I haven’t given up hope from the very start until now. I was innocent then. I am still innocent now.

I think they are trying to make an example of me. But I daresay that what happened has just made a lot of people angrier.

Even though the incident was unfortunate for my wellbeing and mental health, I don’t think I regret going to the protest that day actually. I was just there to exercise my rights and my liberty as a citizen of this country.

I still wholeheartedly support the protests. I don’t know what will happen next. I just know that when people start to come together demanding something better it gives me hope that this country could be in be in a position where people are able to change their own destiny.

I admire President Franklin D. Roosevelt a lot. He once wrote, “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” I quoted this right before I turned myself in to the authorities. I walked on, without doubts, with a strong and active faith. That is what I intend to keep doing.

[rotationalsymmetry]

So, basically, I think if your political values are within the Democrat window — you think Medicare for All and student loan forgiveness are pretty good ideas, but you’re the kind of person who says “you mean defunding the police, right?” when I say I’m in favor of abolishing the police,

Who thinks that Dreamers should get a chance, but adult immigrants and refugees really should make sure they have their paperwork in order,

Who thinks a strong America is a good thing,

Who thinks poor countries are poor because they just don’t have as much technology or ingenuity or something, rather than poor because of colonialism,

Who thinks that disadvantaged teens should spend more time in school so they have a better chance at upward mobility (and should definitely not be throwing their future away by getting pregnant),

Who thinks that feminism is mostly about getting women to enact traditionally male roles rather than traditionally female ones,

Who thinks that we can resolve climate change by taking public transit and recycling a bit more often,

Who thinks that it would be a bad thing if people didn’t have to exchange labor for money,

Who can’t imagine how housing would even work without the existence of landlords,

Who thinks that the optimal amount of military spending is within an order of magnitude of the current amount, or who thinks the main problem with “military spending” is that it costs American taxpayers money,

Who thinks that 9/11 was the worst things to happen in the world or in American in that month,

Then yes, you and people with your beliefs should vote. (But you already knew that, right?)

[theliterateape]

Squaring the Circle: Tips on Managing the Chaos

by Don Hall

“Goddamnit. How do you manage to cope with all of this...chaos in the world and still stay optimistic? I don’t think you’re stupid but maybe you’re just too stupid to see how bad things are getting.”

It’s true. Maybe I am stupid. I’ve certainly been called worse by both political extremes since...well...as long as I can remember. If I am stupid, I’m definitely too dense to recognize it. Managing chaos, living in uncertain times, is just that. Managing and living.

Back in 2015, Alice Kim and I were a dysfunctional couple. That relationship was a constant source of tension and did some damage to both of us. I did, however, learn many things from it and from her. One gift she gave me was the idea of reframing things to see a different angle. I have always been on the outside of things and perpetually looking for that contrarian point of view but that was as much about fueling conflict as it was about the frame.

As a theater artist, my work was inspired by DADAists and the legend of Andy Kaufman. Framing society as a series of ongoing behavioral experiments. Pushing buttons on people to see how they would react. Not so much instigating mean-spirited pranks but close enough to bear that definition.

Alice’s view was that one could gently shift the frame on a given situation. Reframe reality because, for most of us, reality is cemented in our perception of it.

2020 seems to be a real shitshow. Trump is still in office. A pandemic rages throughout the globe. Massive unemployment and the coming of our second Great Depression. A video of George Floyd being murdered by a police officer has been seen 800 million times by one million people. Protests for civil rights. Alt Right terrorists joining the protests to foment the idea that these protests are really riots. While in the back of the queue, we still contend with pending climate disaster, crumbling credibility on the World Stage, an almost maniacally conservative federal court system, and an increasingly powerful and poisonous cancel culture that now seems more like a raging wildfire consuming every and anyone who bothers to even question the orthodoxy of the Extreme Zealots of both White Supremacy and Critical Race Theory.

We’re fucked.

Reframe.

There is actually little evil in the world (if you choose to see things in the binary Good & Evil mode) but metric tons of stupidity and selfish interests. While brutal cops are a problem and the mostly accidental murders of citizens by police are motivated by incompetence driven by lived experience bias, the vast majority of people are merely focused on themselves without much thought put into how their actions affect others. Not evil but certainly fucking annoying.

That guy who parked in two spots isn’t evil, he’s a selfish asshat. The guy who makes a racist joke to make his Black co-workers laugh isn’t evil, he’s just a bigot but one trying to find a way into his 1970’s version of race relations in an increasingly fed up world.

Most people are motivated by what they perceive as good intentions despite their born-in tendency of stupidity and selfishness.

Further, simply looking at the history and progress the world has made gives us a macro-view of things. That more objective scene demonstrates that in the past fifty years we are living longer, healthier lives, literacy is at an all-time high, being gay is no longer stigmatizing in many cases, Black incarceration has declined dramatically, police killing people has declined dramatically, women are more empowered, run more businesses, and are increasingly being elected to public office.

Is there still suffering? Of course. Everyone (even the white people) suffers. The question to ask is not Who suffers more? which invites nothing more than an Olympiad of Victim Status but For what reason are people suffering? Nobody should be insulted, attacked, threatened, etc. but we live in a country of 330 million people and that Shangrala is not realistic in any meaningful way. If we (as in society of free thinking but incredibly stupid and selfish people united by the Grand Experiment in Diverse Democracy) hope to stand up against hateful ideas, we have to be willing to sacrifice a bit.

Uncertainty and chaos are no more bad than good. They simply are.

Most aspects of our lives are completely beyond our control and the attempt to control them is like lighting the candle scented “Frustration” while sipping the “Disappointment” cup of tea. 

Living for thirty years in Chicago was instructive to this point. The weather in Chicago is the perfect incarnation of Chaos at Play. On any given day during any given month there could be thick humidity and stifling heat, pouring rain, sleet, or thirty below zero skin-cracking freeze. If control is your bag, living in Chicago could likely drive you insane just trying to be fully prepared for going outside.

How does one handle it?

The cliché is to Expect the Unexpected which is some fucking feel-good bullshit as it is easy to attribute to wisdom and completely unhelpful. The more substantial answer comes in three parts:

Always have the worst case scenario in mind while simultaneously understanding that the Vegas odds of that same scenario are heavily favored against it.

Actively lower your expectations in keeping with how unrealistic your wants actually are.

Realize that no one owes you anything — not respect, not deference, not politeness — nothing. The world owes no one anything because the world is designed in every way to make it difficult to survive.

Number one is pretty easy. Over the years of reframing, I’ve trained myself to ask that question: What is the absolute worst case possible? 

Take the civil unrest at play right now. The worst case scenario is a full-out war between those protesting for substantial police reform and the police. The police have all the military-grade weapons which would be Kent State meets every school shooting plus some The Purge impunity. That is highly unlikely to happen because while we are stupid and selfish, for the most part, no one really wants to be in a firefight if it can be avoided.

Number two is probably the most taxing. In an age of instant satisfaction — fast food, same day delivery, instant messaging — dialing down our expectations is a pain in the ass. Our emotions dictate so much of how we behave and our emotions are an erratic, messy, impulsive roommate in our head. There’s no shame in feeling the Big Feels but acting upon those feelings is like taking advice from a dude masturbating into his hat while singing nonsense songs about BitCoin conspiracies. Not a great road map to solid decision making.

Number three is kind of an extension of number two. In a democracy, we believe we have rights. Our rights are guaranteed. We feel like we can demand fealty to these rights from everyone around us but the fault in that logic hits the record scratch when we are confronted with everyone demanding their rights at the same time. Adding to that the simple truth that things like pandemics and earthquakes give no fucks whatsoever about your unalienable rights and it just works out better to assume you deserve nothing, are owed nothing, that your rights are as fragile as your credit score.

If there is a fourth reframe to consider it is limit the things you take personally. Most people don’t have much concern for you or your existence as most people in a planet of billions are abstract rather than concrete. George Floyd is concrete because we saw him die on video. Black Lives are abstract because the concept lacks specificity.

Like it or not (and in direct conflict with the notion that there are enemies at every gate) most people are not so much against you as they are for themselves.

Finally, do your level best to explore perspective. Reframing requires looking outside of your lived experience and looking at things from another’s.

Donald Trump is a horror on a daily basis. Stream The Madness of King George and realize that other people have had it worse and survived.

COVID-19 is a scourge that is upending the carefully laid table of society. Go read up on plagues throughout history to gain understanding that these things are simply not the end of all things but the beginning of new things.

Abolishing the Police is a great idea until, like the small neighborhood of well intentioned white liberals in Minneapolis who decided to no longer allow police on their blocks only to suddenly have their public park filled with occupying drug addicts and carjackers, you kind of need someone to call when the shit hits the fan.

Reframe. Relax. Go to sleep and wake up. Eat something. Do something nice for someone without hopes for reward or social media kudos. Drink some water. Make a few bucks. Do it again tomorrow.