US occupation of Iraq: Time for some more Civil Disobedience

[FTL_Ian]

Wow, Menno.  I'm so glad I activated you.  You are principled to the core, and will be a valuable activist in NH!

A little history on "srqrebel" aka Menno:

When I called to invite him to the Sarasota Local Group meeting I was setting up, he had no idea anything was actually happening with the FSP.  He barely remembered signing up. 

Since then, he has become a super activist.. becoming vice-chair of the local LP, doing outreach booths, and more than I'm probably aware of.

The best news is he's targeted Keene!

Moral of the story?  If you're reading this from somewhere besides NH, and there's no FSP local group, START ONE.  You'll get a database of all the FSP friends and members in your area.  Call them all and invite them to a meeting.  You never know what great activists are out there just waiting to discover the FSP is actually alive.

[tracysaboe]

I have been thinking about what else I can do as an individual to stop the worst evil in the world today (government and its killing/imprisoning/enslaving). Beyond not participating, not funding, and openly talking .... it is time to provoke the federal government with civil disobedience.

If we are going to provoke the federal gov't with civil disobedience, a pro-active approach might accomplish more in the long run than a reactive one. 

When people everywhere abandon the obsolete form of government called State in favor of a superior free market system, these things will no longer be an issue.  National boundaries will cease to exist, as will war.  The challenge is, how do we get there from here?

The one objection to abolishing the State that I most frequently encounter goes like this, "But we need government."  This is a valid observation.  The State provides a number of valuable government and non-government services.  The problem is, these services are not provided on a voluntary contractual basis, and healthy free market competition is foreign to the State.  The State ultimately obtains it's funding at the point of a gun.

We need government.  It is important to be safe and secure from criminal activity and other harm. Businesses competing on the free market for your voluntary patronage can do a far better job of providing government services than the State ever can, and friendlier service to boot.  What businesses will not provide is corrupt politicians, war-mongering, and bullying, for there is no long-term profit in that on the free market.  Much has been written on the subject of free market government, and virtually every forseeable problem has already been worked out in theory.

I think it is time to start holding the State to the fire of competition.  Perhaps the fastest route to exposing the State for the fraud that it is, is to prove once and for all that businesses can provide better government services and be more financially responsible than the State.  The State maintains it's aura of righteousness by holding a monopoly on certain valuable services, such as 911, Fire, criminal protection, schools, postal service, roads, etc.  By outcompeting the State at providing these services to the people, it suddenly makes it obvious to the masses that the only things that the State does well is violate individual rights and destroy property.  Once the State loses the support of the masses, the struggle for freedom is over.

Steps would need to be taken to protect such businesses from attacks by the State, and when the State does manage to arrest and/or shut down their own competition, the public outcry from the satisfied customers of the offending business would serve to expose the State even further.

New Hampshire has the perfect conditions for this type of pro-active civil disobedience, as the residents are already liberty-loving individuals who are likely to care less about whether a business is legal than whether it gives good service.

Please read. Some people at Mises have already done alot of research for you.
http://www.mises.org/journals/scholar/guillory2.pdf

Tracy

[srqrebel]

Please read. Some people at Mises have already done alot of research for you.
http://www.mises.org/journals/scholar/guillory2.pdf

Tracy

Great stuff based on actual research.  Thanks for the link, Tracy!

[socialcreature]

It's my understanding that we really just went to Iraq as a result of Saddam's decision to begin trading his oil using Euros as the trading currency, as opposed to US Dollars, which it's always been.

This would devalue the US dollar greatly, as European countrys would buy less US Dollars and use their own currency to purchase oil. We wouldn't be able to indirectly tax foreign countries anymore how we like to, because as our dollar inflates, Europe would still be able to buy cheaper oil, and non-European countries would likely start buying euros to buy oil.

Iran decided to do the same thing recently (google Iranian Oil Bourse) and now surprise surprise, we're talking about nukes they have that we most likely sold them in the first place

Come now President Bush, are we really fighting a war "to spread democracy" when the U.S. is a Federal Republic? It wasn't necessarily a war for oil, but a war to protect the value of our dollar and our ability to tax foreign countries.

[socialcreature]

But yeah, I'm not trying to shoot you guys down, if you want to protest feel free, but now you might understand better why exactly we're doing what we do, and hopefully you figured out that if you're going to protest anywhere, try the Federal Reserve Banks I doubt it will do anything though, so maybe the best form of protest would be to revert to a currency backed in a substance, without inflation or interest? Or maybe start printing New Hampshire Notes? I'll design the dollar!

[Russell Kanning]

But yeah, I'm not trying to shoot you guys down, if you want to protest feel free, but now you might understand better why exactly we're doing what we do, and hopefully you figured out that if you're going to protest anywhere, try the Federal Reserve Banks I doubt it will do anything though, so maybe the best form of protest would be to revert to a currency backed in a substance, without inflation or interest? Or maybe start printing New Hampshire Notes? I'll design the dollar!

Our only Fed Reserve rep in Keene is a bank .... so I will stick with a government office for now.

I use silver with anyone who will take/use it here in NH. Come join us. Would you like to buy advertising in the Keene Free Press with silver?

[Russell Kanning]

We need government.  It is important to be safe and secure from criminal activity and other harm.

Businesses competing on the free market for your voluntary patronage can do a far better job of providing government services than the State ever can, and friendlier service to boot.

As you know .... I don't agree.

I agree. What business do you think we should start in Keene to show this?

I still think poking the government .... at their office will be good.

[socialcreature]

There you go Russell, spend wisely

[Russell Kanning]

I bet you can get thrown in jail for something like that.

[Marcy]

I don't have any silver to spare, but I do have a couple of these:

http://www.deceptiondollar.com/8+/I8FrontRed.jpg

[socialcreature]

I was wondering how long before someone posted a deception dollar Thank you

[Russell Kanning]

Since we have chosen the IRS office on main street in Keene, what should I do there?

[socialcreature]

Bullhorn them, requesting that they show you the law (NOT THE TAX CODE) that requires you to pay income tax

[Caleb]

Is that your final decision, the tax office?

Logistically, I think the recruiting office is better.  If you're just wanting to block access, the recruiting access is in a building by itself, in a high visibility area.

The IRS is on the second floor of the post office.  You'd have to block the access to the post office, or else go upstairs where no one could see you to block the IRS office door.

If you're going to do the IRS thing, then blocking access is probably a bad idea.  You could just go and take all their forms, then go outside and burn them in front of the post office.  Or else take a fire extinguisher and spray them down real good.

[Caleb]

And if you say, "I think you should do that" ... I'm going to scream!