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| Consider the revolutions that overthrew Communism in Eastern
Europe. There was some violence and death involved, more in
some countries than in others. But what brought down the
politicians, bureaucrats and generals -- the same enemy we
face -- was most of the population just refusing to work or
do anything else to keep a rotten system going. What were
the commissars in Moscow or Warsaw to do, drop nuclear
weapons on themselves? Exterminate the workers that they
were living off? A general strike could play a large part in
crumbling the state. That is, a collective refusal to work. | | |
| There is a great deal of misunderstanding of the nature of anarchism.
Anarchists (also known as libertarians or libertarian socialists, in the original sense of socialism as worker-ownership-and-control of the means of production) oppose illegitimate authority and hierarchy, and therefore oppose capitalism and the state; anarchists do not oppose all organization: anarchists favor voluntary, non-hierarchical, self-organization. Anarchists do not oppose all rules and laws; anarchists oppose rules and laws imposed involuntarily by illegitimate authorities, such as the state, and favor voluntarily-agreed upon rules and laws.
"Anarchy 101", an excellent introduction to anarchism, can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/2fq4d2
"An Anarchist FAQ", giving an in-depth treatment of anarchism, can be found here:
http://www.anarchistfaq.org/ | | |
| Of all the ridiculous expressions people use--and people use a great many ridiculous expressions--one of the most ridiculous is "No news is good news." "No news is good news" simply means that if you don't hear from someone, everything is probably fine, and you can see at once why this expression makes such little sense, because everything being fine is only one of many, many reasons why someone may not contact you. Perhaps they are tied up. Maybe they are surrounded by fierce weasels, or perhaps they are wedged tightly between two refrigerators and cannot get themselves out. The expression might as well be changed to "no news is bad news," except that people may not be able to contact you because they have just been crowned king or are competing in a gymnastics tournament. The point is that there is no way to know why someone has not contacted you, until they contact you and explain themselves. For this reason, the sensible expression would be "no news is no news," except that it is so obvious that it is hardly an expression at all. | | |
| "there are many things in this world i do not know. i do not know how butterflies get out of their cocoons without damaging their wings. i do not know why anyone would boil vegetables when roasting them is much tastier. i do not know how to make olive oil, and i do not know why dogs bark before an earthquake, and i do not know why some people voluntarily choose to climb mountains where it is freezing and difficult to breathe, or live in the suburbs, where the coffee is watery and all of the houses look alike." | | |
| haley is in the czech republic.
its funny how badly a person can need another person. thank god she feels the same.
living without her feels like wilting away. everything is very empty.
i've been listening to lots more music, as the only person who's every truly understood me is on the other side of the world. sometimes i feel like they get it. the books get it, that's for sure. if you do not know the books then hear / see the books. srlsy.
oh, and she's gone until june. hoooooorraaayyy!!! sigh. | | |
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