What is the anarchist game plan?

[Pat McCotter]

What is the anarchist game plan to get government off our backs?

I don't know if I qualify as an anarchist, but I agree with the dual-power strategy referenced by Bill.  I suppose that makes me an agorist.  Anyway, I'll try to address Neil's question.

Let me first say that I don't put down the efforts of those working within the political system.  There's room for all kinds: those running for office, those practicing civil disobedience, and agorists.  Agorism (at least the kind I favor) is distinct from civil disobedience in that you do things because you actually want to do those things, rather than to draw attention to bad laws.  And despite widespread belief to the contrary, I think agorism ultimately will have a political effect.  As more and more people use gray/black markets, the white markets will be less and less respected.

The key to effective agorism is anonymity.  I don't think Konkin emphasizes this point enough.  The state's power to regulate your commerce comes from knowledge of who you are and where you live.  What we need is an alternative infrastructure that lets people buy and sell things without identifying themselves.  The infrastructure must enforce contracts fairly for both parties.  Below I will outline such an infrastructure involving 6 special roles: ambassador, relayer, courier, broker, escrow agent and arbitrator.  These 6 classes of people volunteer to provide certain supporting services at low cost, so that there can be a free and competitive market for everything else.

So my "game plan" goes like this: I'll present this proposal for an agorism infrastructure at Alternative Expo, maybe at an MVP meeting, or any place where closet agorists might be lurking.  I'll try to find people who are interested in working on it.  We'll meet separately and hash out the details.  Then we'll try to find ambassadors to get it started.

Here's a summary of each role:

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ambassador: This is one of three classes of people whose identities are known (the other two being relayer and courier).  In fact, this person is trusted because of who he is.  He's widely known and widely respected within libertarian circles.  In our porcupine community, Varrin Swearingen and Irena Goddard might be good candidates.  An ambassador's main job is to recommend brokers without identifying them.  He chooses several people that he thinks would be good brokers, and gets them to set up email addresses that don't indicate who they are.  The ambassador then posts the list of email addresses on his website.  In essence, he is saying "Here are some email addresses.  I'm not going to tell you the names of the people who own these email addresses, or where they live.  But I assure you, I have known these people for years, and they are trustworthy folks.  Any one of them will treat your contract with the utmost care and discretion."  Actually, the lists from all the ambassadors are combined into one big list of brokers and randomly shuffled.  Each ambassador posts the entire list on his website.  He knows that his recommended brokers are on the list somewhere, but ideally he doesn't know which specific ones.

An ambassador also chooses relayers and couriers.  As before, the lists from all the ambassadors are combined.  The resulting list of relayers and couriers is not published, but made available to all the brokers.

The ambassador's job is a one-time job.  Once he has chosen brokers, relayers and couriers, his job is done, and he does not charge for this service.  Buyers and sellers have no need to contact the ambassador directly.  They just pick a broker from the list of email addresses.

relayer: A relayer's job is to convey a package of unknown contents from one person to another, without knowing the identity of either one.  In fact, the relayer takes active steps to avoid even accidentally learning any information about either party that might be used to identify them.  The transfers are done by mail or by carrier (e.g., Fedex), depending on what level of service the parties want, and how much they're willing to spend.  Typically the sender includes cash payment for the relayer service along with his package.

As an example of the economy route, the sender sends his envelope to the relayer by regular mail.  The relayer presumes that any return address is bogus.  The receiver sends a self-addressed stamped envelope to the relayer, with the address label covered by an opaque tape that peels off easily.  The relayer transfers the item from the sender's envelope to the receiver's envelope, goes to a mailbox, averts his eyes, peels off the opaque tape, and drops the envelope into the mailbox.

courier: A courier does the same thing as a relayer, except that instead of relying on mail or Fedex, he physically meets with the sender to pick up the package, and then physically meets with the receiver to deliver it.  This would be appropriate for packages larger than the mailing limit (13 ounces I believe).  One person may volunteer to serve as either relayer or courier.

broker: The broker is the first point of contact for a buyer or seller.  His job is to match up buyers with sellers, also recommending escrow agents, arbitrators, relayers and couriers as needed.  The broker does not provide a catalog of items for sale.  Instead, the buyer must tell the broker what he wants, and the broker will pass this information on to other brokers.  Each broker notifies any sellers who have registered to hear about requests to buy that item.

Once the buyer and a prospective seller have reached an agreement on the terms of the contract, the buyer's broker and the seller's broker together choose an escrow agent and an arbitrator.  Each of these should be somebody that one broker or the other knows personally.  For a contract that requires a relayer or courier (as many will), the brokers choose someone from the list provided by the ambassadors.

escrow agent: An escrow agent holds money from the buyer (purchase price), and frequently money from the seller (performance bond).  In some cases payment is made via a digital currency (e.g., pecunix).  In other cases, payment is in cash or physical gold or silver, sent via relayer or courier.  Also, when the contract calls for delivery of physical merchandise, that merchandise is typically sent (via relayer or courier) first to the escrow agent, who verifies that it is genuine via tests spelled out in the contract.  Buyer and seller can witness the tests via webcam.

arbitrator: An arbitrator's job is to resolve any contract-related dispute between the buyer and the seller.  He doesn't need to do anything unless and until a dispute arises.  The arbitration fee is paid by the loser, so each party has an incentive to concede a valid claim, and not to make a frivolous claim.  The escrow agent enforces the ruling of the arbitrator.

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Keep in mind that the identities of ambassadors are known, and the identities of relayers and couriers are likely to become known over time.  Hence, their roles are strictly limited so as to be as legal and politically correct as possible.  If they are questioned by the authorities, they simply tell the truth, which is that they don't know very much.  IANAL, but I think the role of ambassador is legally safe.  The roles of relayer and courier are a bit iffy, but they can minimize their legal risk by not advertising their services to the general public, and only accepting jobs referred by brokers.  Also, they should charge very reasonable fees.

This reminds me of the hawala system - extended to include all products rather than just money.

[Tom Sawyer]

Conspiracy is the charge...

I deal with people I trust personally... trying to structure something on a larger scale is where the danger lies. In fact "lack of trust" is the main reason I have pulled back from participating on a wider scale. I have lost faith in many players judgement regarding "new players".

"Organizing" the commerce/agorism seems a bit weird to me. Good luck getting the prominent players in the FSP to take any of the risks associated. Black market means making deals over a handshake and putting your safety in another persons hands... I don't give that away easily.

[dalebert]

The game plan yesterday was Settlers of Catan. Luthor won. Beginner's luck. Pfft.

[thinkliberty]

My game plan is to have fun, while demonstrating how awful and unnecessary the government is.

I don't think bureaucratic meetings or lining up like cattle to be out voted by the american Taliban is fun or effective.

If you think voting is fun and effective, then good luck with that. It has not worked in 200 years. I don't think it will work the next time you try it or ever. It's a plan that is defective by design.   

If you think voting will be effective, you need to answer why it will work this time, when it has not work for the last 200+ times it's been done. 

[error]

If voting accomplished any serious change, it would be outlawed.

[Pat K]

psssssssssssssssst

Hey come here I will share a secret with ya.

While were changing the world slow, one ready mind at a time.
The ONLY way to get it peacefully done.

This "game plan" makes sure that while we do
the world does not change us.
That we don't become apathetic and give up.
That we don't blame our friends when politicians
do what politicians do.
That we don't become angry, bitter and violent.
This is going to be a long haul, and while working
for liberty in a voluntarily  fashion we are most importantly
SAVING OURSELVES.

So that liberty can be saved.

Try it ya might like it.

[Russell Kanning]

patk must be on vacation, since he has time for clear thinking and typing

[MaineShark]

If you think voting will be effective, you need to answer why it will work this time, when it has not work for the last 200+ times it's been done.

As with all actions, it comes down to intent.

if your intent is to vote for someone who will save you, you're probably barking up the wrong tree.  And, if you're voting for someone, then your intent is to consent to the system.

However, if you cast votes "tactically," using their system against itself, as part of an overall plan that includes more than just voting, it can be effective.  The majority of the public lives within that system, and understands the world through its symbols.  The outcome of an election communicates information in a language that they understand.

Plus, there's the flip side of things, where getting some total nutjob elected can help to shake the public's faith in the system.  Because Statism is an artificial system of control, and subject to its own irrational rules, its position is quite precarious, in the grand scheme of things.  Statists have to be careful not to push too far, too fast, or the veneer they hold up to blind the public (including themselves) will wear thin and allow reality to show through.  If some nut who will push too far, too fast gets in, it can wake some folks up to reality.  Bush and Obama have been doing an excellent job of it.

The key factor is that anarchists don't exist within that system; we are not bound by its rules and ways of perceiving the world.  That allows us to use it against itself.  We can cause it to make a mockery of itself, and occasionally do such a good job of it that someone wakes up.  It doesn't take a large percentage of the population to effect change, unless one insists on a war, which I don't.  When using tactics like this, it only takes a few percent just saying "no" to cause their system to topple under its own power.  Another ten or fifteen years, and enough should be doing that, that Statism becomes little more than a bad joke.

Joe