Why I Hate Libertarians: A Personal Journey into My Life and Privilege feat. Lauryn Hill

When I discovered the ideas of liberty over 6 years ago, a new world opened up for me. Before then, my life really had no purpose or direction; I was pretty much a loner. But being a part of the "liberty movement" gave me an identity. See, I never felt like I was a part of a clique or group before. However, the people I met through my liberty activism became my friends. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere.

I would like to note that I did not become a libertarian because I wanted to "fit in." Rather, it was a byproduct which fueled me to learn more and more about the ideas in which I believed. For a few years, I became the obsessed "liberty evangelist," trying to "convert" the masses (the same stereotype I make fun of a lot nowadays). A part of me wonders if I took on the evangelist role because I subconsciously believed it would increase my social group and social standing.

Brainpolice posted something a few years ago on Facebook which set a catalyst off in my mind. I don't quite remember what he said, but it was something across the lines of "most libertarians are libertarians because they want to fit into a social group." At the time I was deluded enough to scoff at what he said, and I dismissed it offhand. But through a lot of self-reflection, I realized he was 100% correct, at least in regards to my own experience.

As I have grown older, my personal and professional successes have increased, resulting in a massive boost in my self-confidence. Even though I still struggle with it, I came to the understanding that I don't need other people's validation to define me as a person. Once I became more comfortable with who I was and what I really believed, I started to see some resistance.

For the last two years, I have been exploring ideas of privilege, especially racial privilege and male privilege. Even though I have never rejected the philosophy of liberty, I have witnessed a lot of resistance when speaking out against systematic oppression. Some of the names I have been called include "cultural Marxist," "race traitor," and "misandrist." I guess I can see where these people are coming from; after all, I am a white guy in my mid 20s.

But I don't think the characterizations are fair. I am not your "average" mid-20s white guy. My parents are both working poor and I spent much of my childhood moving around, living in a trailer park for the latter half of my childhood (almost everyone I grew up with is still in poverty, and many of them are in prison). I've had to deal with a visual disability my entire life. I literally dug myself out of the gutter and taught myself a marketable skill to find work after the 2008 financial collapse left me unemployed and almost homeless. Yet despite all of those obstacles, I still recognize that I have privilege because I am a white male.

You see, I did have help along the way. Despite my childhood conditions, I had parents who made sure I went to school every day, who loved me and cared for my needs. When I was almost homeless, extended family took me in and gave me time to heal emotionally. And being a white male working in a predominantly white male field gave me so many advantages, which even I sometimes take for granted. But because of systematic oppression, many people do not have these structures in place and do not have the opportunities I had to succeed.

This is why I really dislike libertarians these days. The event that inspired me to write this post is the caging of Lauryn Hill for not paying her taxes. Before she was sentenced, she made the statement, "I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them. I had an economic system imposed on me." And of course she is right; American capitalism (corporatism for all of the ancaps out there who want to jump my shit for using capitalism in a derogatory way) was built on slave labor and cheap labor from blacks.

But I saw a lot of libertarians making thinly veiled racist comments about Ms. Hill. I saw these comments on Infowars.com, Stefan Molyneux's Facebook post, George Donnely's Facebook post, and a few other random Facebook posts. So wait, it is totally cool to support white tax resistors like Ed and Elaine Brown, but Ms. Hill should rot in a cage because of a false statement about hating white people attributed to her over ten years ago? Get the fuck out of here.

Of course, this is just scratching the surface. My activism regarding women's rights and feminism have been attacked even more than my work against racism. I have received countless death threats and hate messages from (mostly) white male libertarians. At this point, I no longer feel like I am welcome in this so-called "liberty movement." And honestly, I'm happy for that, because over all, the great majority of libertarians I come across hold racist and sexist views. God help us if they ever gain power.

I would like to finish this diatribe by pointing out that there are a lot of great libertarians out there who do speak out against privilege, notably Angela Keaton, Roderick Long, George Donnelly, James Padilioni Jr, Sharon Presley, Stephanie Murphy, Charles Johnson, Carol Moore and Nick Ford.  These libertarians give me hope for a future where I will once again feel comfortable applying the term "libertarian" to myself. But until the movement stands for something more than just advocating for the liberties of white dudes, I really can't identify myself as a "libertarian."

Ron Paul Radio, Police Informants and Other Various Thoughts

I visited my blog today and realized I haven't posted anything since December 11. It seems to be every time I get super busy with life, my writing takes a back seat to everything else I have going on.

The past (almost) six months have been incredibly difficult. Looking back, I can see areas in my life in which I have grown significantly. My writing is one of those areas; I took a media writing class last semester through which I learned how to write better for the web format (no more 10 sentence paragraphs!).

Although not too many people read this blog on a regular basis, I'm writing this entry as a public record of my projects and thoughts during the hiatus.

Ron Paul Radio

By far, my largest time consumer since December has been Ron Paul Radio. I'm not sure if I was bored or what, but for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to start my own radio network and revive a stigmatized product.

For the past 6 months, I have spent on average 20 hours a week working on this project. Despite some bumps along the way, the network is still on the air and is getting bigger each and every day.

First of all, I have to thank Hank Xavier for all of his help with the project. Hank and I have been friends and business partners for years, producing some of the best Internet based media, especially in the political sphere. With my technical skills and his business smarts, we built a rock-solid foundation for Ron Paul Radio.

Hank decided to step away from the project about a month ago, which left me scrambling a bit to figure out how to continue running the network by myself. Thank goodness some great people (namely Angel and Dave Clark) stepped up and have been helping me with updating the image and social media aspects of the network. In the near future, I will be employing more volunteers to help with promotion and technical assistance.

We've been really blessed by our amazing listeners as well. While we haven't been reaching our fundraising goals each month, we're bringing in enough money to keep the network afloat and also acquiring a bit of a nest egg which will be used for a surprise in the future. Something big.

Snitches Get Stitches...

End up in ditches, etc.

Alright, enough with the hyperbole. If you have been paying attention to the market anarchist news this past month, you know what I'm talking about here.

My public statements on the situation have caused a few people to be uncomfortable and have possibly cost me allies. And I am OK with that. Like I said on Facebook, I cannot associate with anyone that is supporting police informants. 

Once you have decided to become a police informant, you have turned over your right to be considered a victim of the drug war. It is especially bad if you set up your friends and fellow activists for a possibility that you won't have to pay the price for your "crime." 

Thankfully, the right decisions were made regarding this unfortunate situation.

Kent Student Liberty Alliance

I'm free! The hard work that this organization has done these past two years is finally paying off. Our elected executive board is very competent and truly understands and believes in the ideas of liberty. We're looking forward to a super-charged year of activism and education on the Kent State University campus.

I will be assuming the role that I had when I started in the organization, which is Outreach Director. With the possibility of Ron Paul still pulling an upset and the very exciting candidacy of Gov. Johnson and Judge Grey, we'll have the chance to use the political process to our advantage by showing the student population there is a choice other than nanny-state liberalism and conservatism.

We're also going to emphasize non-state alternatives to current problems. While I liked the idea of a Students for a Stateless Society organization, many folks are afraid of the market anarchist alternative as it is currently presented to them. By emphasizing alternatives (positive word) rather than anarchy (negative word), our chances of educating people are significantly better.

Gary Johnson

Why do I like this guy so much? He's everything that I normally hate in a politician (pragmatic, conservative-leaning, pro-tax, a slight war hawk, etc). But there is just something about the Johnson campaign that excites me.

A two-term governor went into office with a large deficit and left with an even larger surplus is something the American people can get behind. He doesn't hate the gays. He admits he's smoked weed, and unlike our current fascist in chief, actually advocates for legalizing it. He is the best peace candidate, behind the good Doctor. What's not to like?

For starters, the "Fair"Tax, which is a plan which has its roots in the utilitarian efforts of economist Milton Friedman. It's a terrible idea, but I would take it over the odious Income Tax. He's also super supportive of Israel, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in-and-of-itself, but with the possibility of Israel attacking Iran, I'd be worried that a President Johnson might endorse the murder of thousands of innocent people.

If you listen to Johnson, really listen to him, you can tell he "gets" it. He's not a big government shill who is going to turn around and endorse the GOP candidate in 2016 (thanks, Bob Barr). His understanding of libertarian philosophy seems to be more rooted in Rothbard than Rand; in the Austrian camp moreso than the Chicago school (despite the cost-benefit rhetoric he uses). In other words, he seems to be genuine about supporting liberty and furthering the cause.

PorcFest

If you aren't going to PorcFest, you suck.

Angel, Dave and I will be selling coffee, smoothie drinks and low-carb deserts at Site #32 in Agora Valley. I can't wait to hang out with all of y'all again and get the opportunity to meet many more of you.

Oh, and I'm sexy as hell this year. I'm down around 40lbs from this point last year. I know it will be hard to keep your hands off, but I'm taken.

The Future

Eventually I will graduate and move to New Hampshire. Until then, I'll continue to do my best here in Kent to support the cause. Oh, and I should probably write more than one blog every six months.

Corey Moore on the Angel Clark Show - Political Prisoners and Free Speech

The Angel Clark Show - A Discussion on Youth Culture

But who will feed the poor?!

H/T FreeKeene.com

Thanks to Pete Eyre of Liberty on Tour for this report on the successful “Basket Brigade” charity run by liberty activists:

One question anti-statists of all stripes get is "Without government welfare, who will feed the poor?" This question is a legitimate one to ask, but it misses the bigger picture. Why is it OK to steal from one person to give to another?

Liberty activists from all over the state of New Hampshire are practicing what they preach: voluntary interaction and mutual aid. Free State Project activists continue to impress me, and activities like this are why I am planning my eventual move to the Liberty Mecca of the East.

50 meals for $1000 comes out to about $20 a meal. Impressive if you ask me. When you allow private individuals to give from their hearts rather than by forcing them through a barrel of a gun, they will figure out a way to give more efficiently, which means more people will benefit from their charity.

Great job, folks! Hopefully I will be able to join you in a couple of years.

5 Best Contract Free Smartphone Deals for 2011

With all of the seemingly great deals out there in wireless, it is sometimes worth looking back to see how far the market has advanced.

 

$595 for that huge thing?! It probably sounded like a great deal back then, even though it cost nearly $3 a minute to talk on. As technology advanced, the cell phone providers discovered ways to convince more people to purchase their service. Instead of charging for the entire price of the phone, a consumer could now sign a contract with a cell carrier, usually for two years, that would subsidize the cost of the phone by guaranteeing the consumer would continue to pay them for their service.

Cell phone companies were notorious for poor customer service, dropped calls and a host of other issues, as their customers were locked down in a contract. They kept signing contracts, hoping that this provider would be slightly better than their previous provider, usually to be let down. There was a need in the market for contract free cell phone service.

Starting in the late aughts, many contract free mobile carriers sprung up as mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs. These MVNOs are cell phone providers that are either run by one of the major carriers, or have contracted with a major carrier to lease their cell towers. Now thanks to the MVNO revolution, folks can again purchase cell phones at full price and use them on any network (as long as the phone is compatible). The major difference is the cost of cell phones have dropped significantly since the early days, now making it very affordable to own your phone outright and have the freedom to switch carriers. All of the following services are MVNOs.

Now to the list you've all been waiting for:

The Occupy: TEA Party Movement?

Occupy: Wall Street started as a simple demonstration in New York City. Now it has spread all over the United States in a similar fashion to another movement: The TEA Party.

Since the very beginning of the Occupy: Wall Street movement (OWS), many observers on the right have considered the protests a waste of time. Filled with unemployed lazy whiners, according to these conservatives, the movement is nothing more than class warfare against the wealthy. Considering the barrage of liberal institutions that have swooped in like ants at a picnic and the demands made by many of the protesters, the right wing interpretation of the event is understandable. However, now that the movement has expanded throughout the country, it reminds me of another recent nationwide movement: The TEA Party.