Embedding shit, woo hoo.

The Nestor Makhno Archive.

I updated the Nestor Makhno section. I left the nestormakhno.info link, but just added another page, adding from other sites and cancelling redundancies. A note of redundancy: I have two editions of the Platform. One from the MIA and another from NMA. This is because the MIA version contains the conversation of the Platform with Makhno and Malatesta, and the NMA has recent conversations on the Platform. Also, for further conversation on the Platform, there is more in the misc. links below the Platform links.
If you like Nestor Makhno, the theoretical discussions of Platformism, or Anarchism in the Russian Revolution, enjoy.

Discontinuation or Transformation

The, quite literally, dead press (pun!)
I feel obliged for some reason to make a post. I don't have many things to say or many topics to explore, aside from news for the blog. Upon certain realizations I've been pondering discontinuation. But one of the reasons this blog may find value is its digital library, which serves as the blog best defense for its self-preservation.
The digital library is something I want to elaborate and evolve. When I did the Chomsky dissemination binge, I found that it was a total pain in that ass, and that with so many articles, it clogged up the library. Therefore, I am going to create a page for all the articles, and then provide a link to that page in the library. Thus, one article of Chomsky, or anyone else, for a large compilation.
Regarding discontinuation, the blog has seemed to come to halt. A halt to what would seem to be underdeveloped thought, largely influenced by people much clearer than I. There is one blog post idea, yet it is a transcription of something I wrote on a receit about Nestor Makhno, likely from last year. The problem would seem to be that, since I have few original things to say, and since most original things to say, I don't make public (although this would be the place to make it public, so I'll remember to jot it down when something comes on), this is either a waste of time, a vacant blog, or something to be molded into something else.
Initially I had wanted this to be something of a reporting journal (high in the sky, I realise), particularly focused on the activist movements. There's really no reason I should exclude myself from this, since it would be disempowering otherwise to dismiss my opinions of events, however there are others who's opinions, being far more richer and informed than mine, who would better replace my initiative.
Thenceforth I wanted to have a blog in which I would explain theories and concepts. My reasons for turning away from this have already been stated.
And now we come to here, a collection of links calling itself a library next to a vacant blog, without or unaware of material to fill. So the drive for transformation becomes apparent. What may perhaps happen is a commentary or critique of writings by others, such as The Coming Insurrection and what not. This is informal, so likely a combination of many things.
If anyone would have any suggestions of any kind, please comment.

p.s. Perhaps the reader was annoyed by the part of 'original things to say'. Perhaps not, regardles I will explain: Those original thoughts I do have are fairly small or detatched, and happen only every other while, so that is why they rarely find their way to the blog.

The Stranger creates emptiness and paints it with colours in vain, yet colourful empitness created by the Stranger, must necessarily be strange colourful emptiness...Ultimately strange fake visions...

I'm sick, but I felt like doing something. So I went on a dissemination binge, I got a bunch of Noam Chomsky books for the 'Burning Library'. Some of these are incomplete. I don't exactly remember, I had it remarked but because of a mistake it got erased.I got:
Year 501: The Conquest Continues
The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many
Keeping the Rabble in Line
Secrets Lies and Democracy
What Uncle Sam Really Wants and a flaming review
9-11 and on 9-11
Preventive War: The Supreme Crime
The New War Against Terror
Anarchism, Marxism, and Hope for the Future
Class Warfare (audio)
Failed States
Fateful Triangle +
Hegemony or Survival
-?
Imperial Ambitions
(incomplete) Media Control
Necessary Illusions
On Miseducation OR
On Osama Bin Laden
The War in Afghanistan
Philosophy and Public Philosophy
Pirates and Emperors, Old and New
Powers and Prospects
The Culture of Terrorism
The Propaganda System
Turning the Tide U.S. intervention in Central America and the Struggle for Peace
Who are the Global Terrorists
Understanding Power
You Are Being Lied To
Deterring Democracy

If any of these links somehow fucks up, please let me know.

Said the Pot to the Kettle

This is one of the first zines I read about anarcha-feminism.

Response to a neoliberal

This was from a conversation I had with a staunch Ayn Rand enthusiast. In retrospect, I should commented on the superb welfare state that funds the corporations that he and Ayn Rand adore, and the 'socialism for the rich; capitalism for the rest'.

"My definition of human rights is this: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

Your "definition of human rights" is the usual individualist oriented ideology that supports neoliberal doctrine. In turn justifying hegemonist corporate/capitalist atrocities and obviously in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That's probably the different premises that is making this clash, from one that emphasizes property and the worries of the wealthy, to one that emphasizes universal welfare and the needs of the poor.

"But the fact remains that government has made it clear that they will be expected to continue to shoulder more and more financial burdens to pay for some politician's wet dream. That is what they seek to escape."

Oh boo hoo, the multi-billion dollar machine is expected to pay the federal government to help single mothers feed their children.

I think that your understanding of this situation is pretty flawed, not surprising considering the apparent neoliberal indoctrination. In this situation there are three entities: the corporations, the political entity (government), and the poor people. In this situation is John Dewey's efficient observation that "Government is the shadow cast on society by big business", most accurate and fitting. For one thing, big businesses, or as Chomsky appropriately calls them, "unaccountable private tyrannies," pretty much control the government to do the bidding of the "National interests," namely the interests of the rich and the strong. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels effectively illustrated the use of the government in the Communist Manifesto (I'm not a Communist BTW): "The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie." The poor people are left out of the decision-making process, which is not democracy, but in this case a plutocracy. But there is sometimes a burst of democracy where people try to force the government to care about them. The people try to realize material security, and pretty much Article 23.

Therefore that "politician's wet dream" you speak of is the guarantee of education, healthcare, in effect, material security of the people.

The real "politician's wet dream" you speak of is when the government is paid to ensure that the rich stay rich, the people are not heard, the Universal Declaration is ignored, and that the people who are powerful enough to pay the money to control the government live comfortably.

"Here's another fact: I don't care.

Taxes are a form of theft, done under the threat of force (e.g., give us your money or face the law). Regardless of their alleged uses (sorry, but I don't support punishing the wealthy for the problems of the poor. They earned that wealth and it is theirs to use as they please), it is immoral. And forcing more taxes on businesses that are already struggling to get money isn't going to help them expand, which is what leads to more employment."

That's funny, I took you for a patriot American exceptionalist.

Taxes aren't a form of theft. I want to pay taxes because it will go to the welfare of my community (in a just society, but we live in a hegemonist society so it goes to keeping the rich rich and to killing strangers to secure "National interests"). If you want to go around making bold pronouncements based in ideology like "Taxes are a form of theft", how about this? Wages are a form of slavery, and slavery is immoral (not to mention a violation of the UDHR). Today, the rich don't pay taxes, they live in comfort. Using the system above, the government (in the ‘80s, when troubles in the economy started off) lightened taxes on the rich, and laid heavy taxes in the poor. Taxes stopped going to the welfare of the people, but the luxury of the rich. To illustrate, the poor work as slaves to the masterly rich, and pay taxes which go to paying for the perfection of the military state or the limousine.

Let's look at one of the good things that taxes fund - education. Public education allows for the economy to become stronger. A more efficient education allows for the learning of skills which is crucial to the strengthening of an economy.

Where do the problems of the poor come from? The worker is only paid enough to survive. The sick are denied treatment because they are sick poor. The young are denied excellent education because their parents are blue collar and are meant to dwell within the caste. The poor don't receive the money to live in dignity (which, by the way, violates Article 25). America is not a meritocracy. There is an illusion that is common among citizenry (because they've been indoctrinated) that if you're rich, it's because you've worked very, very hard. It's true for the small business, but for the giant, they are rich because of ruthlessness, violation of treaties with workers, and working in the system above of socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor. Essentially, the rich are so rich not because of honest work, but efforts toward vicious class war and inheritance.

Taxes may be immoral when it goes to war and fraud, but they are not at all immoral when they go to funding education and welfare, eventually healthcare (which is a human right). What is immoral is that some drive expensive cars, while many live hardship and submit to others because ‘they work harder', and it is declared that there is equality.

Now imagine a world where the plutocracy has total control of life, there being no obstacle such as a potentially democratic political institution to impose accountability. No social security, no medicare, no institutions sponsored by tax to protect people's material security. Not hard to imagine, especially in the Third World (where this reality exists). People would be given only enough money to survive and propagate more slaves to serve the lavish masters. Not to mention the horrifying working conditions.

Behind the colorful patriotic, and nationalist preaching in neoliberal doctrine, this is the goal, the victory of the class war.

"Land has no value in and of itself (honestly, you're talking about DIRT); its value is based on how it may improve the life of man (e.g., growing food, providing natural resources, etc). Also, if the land in question is privately owned, the owner has the right to do whatever he wishes with it, as the right to property includes the right to use and disposal."

I am not talking about dirt, I am talking about water. Take for instance hydrofracking, where thanks to dismantling laws to protect water, companies use unsafe drilling methods that pollute water. Let's imagine that someone allows a company to drill on their land, it poisons their water, and their neighbor's groundwater. What right does someone have to ruin someone else's water? Watch Gasland for the account.

"I would like to see you show me proof of what you're claiming. I've seen what the people like you define as slavery and how you blow things out of proportion."

Read Profit Over People by Noam Chomsky

Read No Logo by Naomi Klein

Watch : http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4513202692382805096

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8firb73r67g&feature=related

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYaDY-xTzZ0&feature=related

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvnEc48A7yM&feature=related

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4se4jYI9KAc&feature=related

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0tIB9m_BBg&feature=related

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf2CSUoxyOk&feature=related

Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUmyevPS2cY&feature=related

Pilger does pretty good movies, and Chomsky is refreshingly objective.

"And what kind of governments do those countries have?"

These countries have dictatorships that obey the companies that fund them. Without these dictatorships, there would be labor laws, and the effort to out source would not have happened.

Now justify it for me =)"

This thing.

For fun I'll examine what this blog has been used for, how it's purposes have evolved, perhaps mainly because I long to post, and I have nothing else to use. First off, it was gonna be an amazing underground news source blog. Then I found a bunch of Anarchist news papers at Silent City Distro, and a Socialist news paper at Autumn Leaves. Didn't really have any sources to make news anyway. Then I started ranting. Not as proud of those rants as I am today, my animosity towards the police is a bit more evolved, more sophisticated. Then it became a place for my political writings, that was cool. That's probably what it should be for. I have a few things that I am planning on writing, in the process of gathering sources for. I have a CIA memo (That Noam Chomsky used OMG HA THAT'S SO FUCKING AWESOME!), that describes how the state is not at all a representative of the public's wishes, which is what a nice "democracy" should be, that I will use.
So then I stopped being so active in writing. After Wage-Slavery, which I amended (mainly the last paragraph I disagreed with), I didn't really think I could make anything else that could match up to it. But I am working more now. But since there's such large gaps it also turned into a disseminating blog. Real useful, since I have such a large audience to disseminate to...
Finally, I have plans to make it somewhat a library. On the Anarchist Publications/Library, I have slowly been getting more items. So I have decided to expand on this process. One might ask, Dr. Fish, if you do not have any readers, why would you do this? Dr. Fish might say "I have nothing better to do."

So news items for the blog, things to develop:

• an article for the Burning Library (1800's)
  
• another article for the Burning Library (American Power and the New Mandarins?)
  
• something on Afghanistan and the campaign to dismantle the media and smother the publics with propaganda.
• What is Democracy or The Possibility of Democracy
• a rant about Jesus, and why he's so special
• a an arguement with a neoliberal
• Obama