Look, America's going to end. All empires have and will.
Mole ruit sua.
There's no reason to worry about preserving such a large nation-state with its artificial loyalties. Instead, we should focus on developing sustainable organic social networks and cooperative associations between persons and communities.
Look to the future. To pretend I have any greater tie to someone 3000 miles away than to someone 500 miles away based merely on the fact that we live on the same side of some imaginary line in the sand is absurd. We are getting nearer every day to the time when mankind will progress beyond neo-colonialism, the nation-state, plutocracy, and artificial loyalties. Focus on developing strong, sustainable communities with those around you and encouraging and partaking in the free flow of information and ideals with all people.
Yeah sure I would dearly love to live in that anarchist utopia, too, JB.
Who said anything about anarchism? Anarchy is impossible. Whenever two men interact, they create either a democracy or a tyranny. People will always arrange themselves into ingroups and form various systems of governance to settle disputes, organize large collaborative efforts, provide for the mutual defense, and establish a system of Law to enforce such ethical standards as the unacceptability of murder and theft. Man is, after all, a social animal.
However, history has shown us that when organic associations are replaced with artificial loyalties that are
maintained through force, you end up with a deformed civilization in which not all members are truly one People. Such a society cannot be sustained and will naturally destabilize as the various organic societies contained within it trend toward themselves and antagonisms between them become sharper as they develop away from each other. Once these natural societies begin to express their internal will and come into conflict with the powers lording over them, the powers of Empire will seek to suppress them, first with Law and then with the sword. Such cracking down intensifies the will to resist among small numbers, though the will of the People as a whole may be broken for some time. With continued abuse, however, and as the People become more aware of their socio-political alienation and those in positions of power and influence allow themselves to enjoy their station and revel in the abuse of power, the masses eventually grow restless.
America today is like Rome before it. Modern technology may have shifted the balance of (military) power even further toward Empire, yet it also allows greater communication among the populace, aiding the spread of free thought and fanning the flames of discontent. As we near the tipping point, how this nation will transform and what will come after it will depend largely on the current powers of Empire and whether they allow society to evolve, unite in the suppression of the People's will, or turn their swords upon each other, each attempting to secure his own gains and privileges.
But how does get from where we are now to that state (or rather non-state)?
History is written and society is built form the ground up. Autonomy is, in my opinion, at present, our best available means of expressing our will. We should focus on building strong communities, nurturing our natural associations, and supporting, aiding, and abetting, the free flow of ideas. Nationalism is a dogma and [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Science-Liberty-Democracy-Reason-Nature/dp/0060781505"]the rejection of dogma is critical to liberty and emergence of any legitimate system[/ame].
There is no one solution, no one system, no one path that is right for all people in all places at all times. Some people will wish to establish rather small communities, such as we see in
the FEC, and experiment with various forms of direct democracy. Others may desire to preserve, to varying extents, their existing cities and establish either federations or confederations with surrounding areas.
Rather than replacing the old powers of Empire with
a new one, as
was seen in the past, it is important that the guiding
principles be equality, liberty, and socio-political and economic parity for all who to contribute to society as they are able. Every man among his fellows must be free to advocate, seek out, and build such communities and systems of governance as he and his fellows find best able to meet those ends.
We begin not by seeking to replace the current system, but by establishing a parallel system within it, operating independent of it. We must resist always the influence of the Bolsheviks and others like them who would lead us headlong into slaughter, civil war, and the rise of the next strong man. We should not hesitate to defend our liberty and and as necessary, but history teaches us that we should not seek out such conflict as has time and again given rise to new tyrants.
A tragic collapse of empire has never resulted in that kind of strong, sustainable communities by CHOICE ideal that you and I would both like to see mankind evolve into.
Which is why we must begin building such systems now and also work to dissolve, not smash, the current State system so that, with its passing, the order of the world can emerge from among the People.
Network. Communicate. Discuss. Work within the current system to achieve such reforms as we can in order to prepare the way. Work among your fellows to strengthen your community, encourage regional commerce, and establish a strong society that can operate independent of the current powers of Empire. For some, the answer will be communes. For others in other places, food coops, urban agriculture, citizens' councils organizing cooperative efforts and community-building in their own neighborhoods will be critical. For others elsewhere, establishing cooperation between producers of food and goods, achieving workplace and market democracy, and seeking sustainable means of supporting the population will be crucial.
The common threads are autonomy, communication, ground-level organization, and local cooperation and self-governance where possible. A better world is possible; these are the tools with which we can build its foundations.
