Civil Disobedience

[Pat K]

Gee can you fart for money? Man all this time I have been wasting talent!

[Ron Helwig]

I like the idea of attacking both licensing and government run schooling.

How about opening up an unlicensed school? (or were we already talking about that?)

IMHO, you'd probably need to eliminate licensing in order to get rid of govt interference in education.

[Scott Roth]

I just heard the song that your wife sang, Mike.  Wow!   That song would be a great theme for all of our underground rallies.  Did I say wow?   Great job, Amethyste.   If you ever needed a new career, that song would be an excellent place to start.

[JonM]

The cost of schooling via property taxes has traction, but I suspect that most people don't see the point on what is wrong with government run schooling yet.  Hopefully that will change, but until viable alternatives are available for the majority of people to demonstrate the inefficiency of government run schools, those protesting them will be dismissed as being on the fringe and likely not gain the sort of response the licensing protest got.  Of course, that's just my opinion.

[Russell Kanning]

How about the idea of someone trying to board a plane without any ID?

[Michael Fisher]

IMO, we should not attempt any civil disobedience events unless they follow the basic requirements of the successful events throughout history:
-MUST be peaceful, non-violent, non-cooperation.
-MUST violate a blatantly unjust law.
-MUST attract at least 50 people, including the police and the press.? (well, 25 worked for us)?
-MUST cause an immediate, severe response by the police.

It may take years to come up with good ideas that meet these criteria.? For now, we only have a few qualifying ideas.

I think the civil disobedience idea of delivering mail is a solid plan which would find a very strong base of support.? The primary argument we'd have to repeat constantly is that the constitution is wrong because:
-The government should not ban private mail delivery.? This monopoly on mail delivery is immoral and harmful.
-The government should not be delivering mail at all.

Our first event was successful.? We obtained backing from the largest and most influential newspaper in the state.? We have a lot of support on the licensing issue now, and even most of our opposition has respect for our uncompromising conviction.? This was NOT an easy task at all.? All events of civil disobedience carry a lage degree of risk.? The plan must be solid and the goal must be clear and obviously just.

We should concentrate on creating new ideas for civil disobedience events relating to compulsory education, but this is not at all a small goal or a low-lying fruit.? It may take YEARS for us to come up with a great idea and a solid plan for a successful civil disobedience event targeted at this issue that will gain maximum public support for our cause.

So which ideas do we have so far that meet all the requirements?

NH laws:
-Public barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, and massages.? Violation of New Hampshire law.
-Publicly selling hard liquor to adults 21 and over.? Violation of New Hampshire law.
-Publicly selling alcohol to adults 18-20 years old.? Technically a violation of New Hampshire law.

US laws:
-Publicly delivering mail, preferably to mailboxes.? Violation of US law.
-Publicly selling products or services and refusing to accept Federal Reserve Notes as payment.? Violation of US law.
-Publicly burning social security cards.? Violation of US law.

Any more?? Government-created monopolies should be easy targets.? What are all the monopolies the New Hampshire government has created?

[Michael Fisher]

Dada,

If and when I fast, I will consume only water and a little salt to live, but I will not eat or drink anything else.

Twice during Gandhi's life, he fasted for 3 weeks, if I remember correctly, and he was about 105-115 pounds.

Someone who weighed more could live longer.  A magician recently fasted for 40 days and I believe he went from 225 to 170 pounds during that period.  Unfortunately, if someone refused water, they'd probably die in under a week.

[tracysaboe]

Strike the Root wants me to write an article for them about civil disobedience!!!   

Great! Put in a plug for the Free State Project while your at it. We need more MArket Anarchists moving to NH.

Tracy

[Dave Ridley]

It seems like if we focus on licensing, that gives us a broad array of issues within one issue. 

Personally my big beef is taxation, but sometimes the fastest way to liberate town A is to reinforce a successful offensive against town B.

One idea I did have today however regarding anti tax protests...  It's hard to make those visual and also difficult to pick the time and place of conflict.  But maybe one idea for accomplishing that would be to announce you are going to show up at some tax office with a jug full of salt water, then pour it all over one of their PCs.  This idea needs work but it's a start...  Anyway it may be that the licensing thing is better to stick with until or unless media attention starts to wane.

[Michael Fisher]

One idea I did have today however regarding anti tax protests...? It's hard to make those visual and also difficult to pick the time and place of conflict.? But maybe one idea for accomplishing that would be to announce you are going to show up at some tax office with a jug full of salt water, then pour it all over one of their PCs.? This idea needs work but it's a start...

  You're crazy, Dave.     I don't think we'd get any support for that type of action.

[Russell Kanning]

I would support it...but I don't count

[Dreepa]

I would support it...but I don't count

Sure you do Russell.

1...2...3...

[FTL_Ian]

I don't see why this all need take years for planning.  You kicked ass and took names in a matter of weeks.

[Rocketman]

How about setting up a taxi service, giving people rides for money?? I dunno about NH, but I remember reading that immigrants had set up businesses in big cities driving people around in vans.? People were paying for the van rides because privately owned vans, unlike public transportation, go where you want them to.? But the government shut them down to protect their public transport boondoggles, along with licensed cabbies.

Just an idea.

[Kat Kanning]

I like that idea!