Open Letter (Comment) to Adam Kokesh: Voluntaryists do not need a "President."
I left the following comment on Adam Kokesh's recent post about voting, and why we should, in his own words, "help me finally free America from the federal government."
I thought it deserved a wider audience. What is your opinion, Voluntaryists? Am I making sense? Am I missing something?
Let me know in the comments.
Begin comment:
@adamkokesh: The idea that voluntaryists need to vote for a leader on a national level to change things is just oxy-moronic. The system is inextricably and intrinsically founded upon and dependent upon violence for its very existence. The idea that this system will "let you in" to destroy it and make it suddenly "nonviolent" defies any sort of sound logical thought process there is.
I just posted about this, in fact, but am not commenting here to link bomb or plug said post. I am only commenting here in the hopes that the principled, budding anarchists who are already changing and decentralizing things don't get caught up in this election hype sensationalism suffering a diversion of resources and time for a pipe dream.
Even if you should, by some miracle, become president, the plans I have heard you describe for "dissolving the Federal government" are all top-down, centralized plans, to be headed by yourself and a group of selected "custodians" who will manage who gets what, and how everything is to be broken down. This is not a voluntaryist approach at all, as it necessitates making vast claims over property miles and miles away, and does not permit those land owners, communities, and individuals with most direct demonstrable link to the properties, land, and resources to decide what to do with them. This is, essentially, an application of force via magical mandate.
Voluntaryism does not need a leader in the sense of a statist figurehead such as a "president" or even a "notpresident." Nor does the violence-based system of "Democracy" need to be legitimized.
Folks here on Steemit are already changing things. And it is happening in a direct, principled, and non-violent manner. You should look around a bit and see what I mean. Tons of stuff going on here, that is real, grassroots change, and not some big "campaign."
I can't believe it needs to be said that anarchists don't need a president.
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DTube and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
It constantly amazes me how folks who claim to want end the current criminal system just propose another version of it.
I'm not suggesting Adam Kokesh is a criminal in my eyes that is, I'm sure the government feel different.
It's just that once power is consolidated in any top down structure the 'leaders' always end up corrupted, no matter how noble their original intentions were. It's the big corporations and banking establishments that need dealing with first. It doesn't make any difference how societies are set up, if you have big banks and corporations pulling the strings you eventually end up with tyranny.
Great letter Graham.
I am always leery of people who push big hype and exaggerate situations (arrested because he announced his campaign). I think that his campaign might be 80% about him, 15% about money, and a mere 5% about principles.
When it comes down to me, you are of course "preaching to the choir."
But I think it's a worthwhile effort to patiently lay out the logic, again and again, for some minds to eventually "click" and get it. Sadly, it took me the bulk of an entire lifetime to start seeing the world for what it really is.
I continue to have great hopes for Steemit and decentralization tools and techniques in general. And, yeah, you make plenty of sense... "He that has an ear, let him hear."
😄😇😄
Thanks, @creatr.
I'm guessing this is his response, though if it is, he strawmanned your argument all the way through the video never once addressing your actual point of the impossibility of changing the mob from the inside...
Sigh...
Thanks for this. He published this right before I published this one, though. Interesting timing.
I'm sure I will get lambasted for this but I am somewhere in between.
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree people should be self governing ultimatly, however.... I do not think the minds of today are mature enough to deal with all that entails.
Unfortunately, generations of suckling off a government as well as a boot on the neck, has left most of society timid and reliant. This means a sudden ripping of the child from the mother could be damaging and dangerous for all, as they have no idea how to live in the world without being spoon fed. Can your average person set a trap now or use a gun effectively, or even converse with someone reasonably anymore?
I like Adams candor, in so far as if we really believed he would get anywhere it could be an interesting proposition in 'starting to power down' toward the ultimate goal of self govenance, but I see the viewpoint of a complete turning away as compelling also. At least if one such as he should fail (if supported), it would prove the system is rigged to those who have not 'awoken'.
Ultimately, I would dearly love to have a self governing area in each country to prove the point.
Hey, I'm just 'shooting the shit', don't bury me 'cos I know this is a passionate area, I am always open to enlightening comments.
The candor is what I feel is missing. The plan is simply and demonstrably not a voluntaryist one, yet he sells it as if it is.
I appreciate your openness. My thing with the whole ripping the baby away thing is, right is still right and wrong is still wrong, and being “pragmatic” about timing etc, only works out for those not being violated right now.
Slavery always should be abolished right now, regardless of concerns over how the cotton would be picked.
That’s my view, at least.
Thanks, you are correct of course in right is still right, and the slavery analogy is apt.
I guess I never like to deal in absolutes, and know a situation is always shades of grey where opinions are concerned.
I just cant see how a sudden change to self governance would work, nice though that would be. It may have worked 2 generations ago but then, they did not understand where this was leading. At least there was a feeling for community and neighborhood then, and an appreciation for self leadership.
Having said that though, I know my judgement is impaired by my indoctrination (at least I know), so who am I to say what is the right path except using my gut?
I do know also though, that there is no need of the charlatans that like to call themselves 'king' or 'queen' , 'president' or 'representative' and it irks me that in my country at least we are made to even vote under threat of penalty ( I walk in, get my name crossed off and rip up the ballot). A democracy this aint. One thing we can agree on is something must certainly change.
Seeing as the establishment will not allow a change to occur away from their own interests, perhaps the only way is, in fact, to turn our back on the beast.....
P.S. Hey, thanks for the re-steem!
I'm hard at work trying to bring my library into the 18th year of the 21st century... ;)
The Steemit Shelf just happened to be the first... :D
No problem! It looks great! Love the idea.
Thank you very much... ;)
Bingo, you nailed it!
well fucking said! This Anarchist laughed after grocking what Kokesh is peddling! Re- steemed Because.......... Anarchy!
nice argument
Thanks, why do you think so?
Maybe he just commented to get a vote from you: D
Yes, this is why I ask ;)
i say bcz your writing is so good
hahahhahah you are soooo......
i thinking so bcz your writing is soo good for a message
that sort of attitude won't put gas in the RV.