Great video. The reality is the world is polluted and if we don’t like it then we need to stop polluting, not hide in a bubble and pretend the contamination won’t reach us there. We are a part of nature and when we poison nature we poison ourselves.

It’s hard to predict. Frankly I’m not sure whether staying with the current federal tug of war or some kind of separation is more likely to lead to war. If I knew better then that would strongly influence my thinking because that is perhaps the worst possible outcome aside from maybe some kind of systematic mass-murder like under the USSR or Nazi Germany. Terrifying that these do not seem impossible anymore.

To be clear I don’t think it’s a good idea for blue states to unilaterally secede. I think it has to be some kind of compromise where both sides take their ball and go home. I’m not sure Trump would allow this though so I don’t see it happening immediately. In the current context secession would likely lead to a war and one we might lose since Trump would have a stronger grip on the military.

True. But I think the differences are also important to understand. Even the same individuals are going to behave differently when in a different context.

Very true. And this is why I would like to see a more pluralistic world. Although I have very strong opinions about what kind of politics is best (I usually identify as anarchist or libertarian socialist), I also acknowledge that I can’t necessarily see my own blind spots, and the only way to sort through the miasma of political disagreements is through empirical experimentation. If we can find a way to live and let live and allow different communities to follow their own ideas more free from top-down interference, we can learn a lot more about what works and what doesn’t than we do in the present world.

A funny alignment for me is that despite disagreeing on almost everything else I absolutely loved Marjorie Taylor Green’s suggestion of a national divorce… let the right devolve into some kind of insane dystopia if they want to, as long as they don’t impose it on anyone else. And the rest of us with more sane politics can try out our ideas too, and hopefully make a lot more progress than the current divided and paralyzed system we have had for the past few decades.

Well… yeah I guess we don’t see eye to eye on this completely because I think there are certainly similar elements, but there are also important differences. Police are more accountable to the existing powers and institutions of society (and therefore less accountable to Dear Leader), which can be both good and bad in different contexts. But in some situations, like for racialized people in rural areas the difference is only minor, and what you described can more or less happen with maybe a few more bureaucratic bumps along the way.

I’ve been wanting to make a post somewhere about how ACAB is just a bad analysis and bad politics even if you are anti-police as an institution… but I feel like I’ll just get downvoted and shouted down so I’m not sure it would be worthwhile. I often find myself trying to find the nuance between the more liberal and leftist lemmings and their conflicting ideas, but it doesn’t seem like there are many people who value this perspective or effort.

All good points. I hope you are wrong that these two factions are going to merge but I definitely can’t say it’s impossible. But my point was more that people have been saying they’re one and the same for decades and it’s just a bad analysis.

By the way, I still agree with the ACAB people that police are a harmful institution. But they’re a different harmful faction than fascists and it’s important to understand that. The fact that these factions sometimes fight is very important and useful to people who oppose both of them.

Gonna point to this one next time people want to pretend brownshirts and police are exactly the same haha.

Cool although funny to me because winter is much better for cycling weather here than summer is! Way too hot!

Sex workers’ rights are human rights.

Most serious outdoor rain jackets have a little visor in the front that can protect your eyes, especially if you incline your head slightly. Worth the investment for a nice one if you’ll be riding in the rain. Make sure it’s helmet compatible.

Sacramento, CA. I am not involved yet but I’d like to connect with them and see if I can support in any way. I’m an arborist so maybe they could use some free tree services.

http://www.sacclt.org/

We just started one in my city and I’m so excited!

There were lots of Nazis back the man too I’m afraid.

Especially when you consider they are forcing through a huge expansion of exports which will unequivocally make domestic prices higher.

Guess what: they never gave a single shit about prices.

I should clarify that the organizing I’m discussing does not need to be openly political. Religious institutions, civic organizations, charities, etc. anything that is not directly subservient to the state can be turned against it when the time comes. Especially if the purpose of the organization attracts people who might be naturally skeptical of the ruling powers.

While I obviously support the things you describe here, Joe Biden’s weak response to Jamal Khashoggi’s murder made me realize that the royal family actually has a very strong bargaining position with the US due to their influence on OPEC. Americans are addicted to oil and, as we saw in the last election, very willing to punish leaders who aren’t able or willing to secure their cheap access to it. I am not sure this problem can be solved without first breaking this addiction. I also think the oil economy is one that very much favors autocracy, so destroying global demand for oil could have very positive effects even beyond the influence over US policy.

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I hope you have an eye to your own safety as you participate in these conversations but I assume you know better than I do what is safe and what isn’t.

That must be very difficult. I can’t imagine living in such a way as I’ve been an outspoken critic of my government from a young age.

I’ve read that sometimes organizing in such places can be focused on building power that is independent of the state, even if that power has a conciliatory stance towards the regime initially. However, that independent power can be used in a critical moment when the regime’s power weakens. I am not familiar with Saudi society—is there hope for such a strategy?

Another strategy is tiny acts of resistance that are too small to detect or punish but that introduce friction into the workings of society. The impact is small but again, it may help tip the scales towards liberation. And it has the advantage of being safe enough for anyone to engage in and being actionable for an individual—meaning no one can report you.

Finally I am curious if you have advice for how people in the West can help advance a liberatory cause in your country. Obviously our military and financial support is a huge malignant force in your society, so seeking to remove this support might help. Do you agree with that assessment?

I prefer ancap as a term to avoid acknowledging any affinity with real anarchism.

That said, I don’t think they’re necessarily all fascists and there are some points of agreement between us so I’m not afraid to cooperate in limited ways when it’s appropriate. Right now there are worse enemies to reckon with.

I do think it is often possible to force despots to resign through nonviolent conflict. Their power ultimately stems from obedience of others—if that obedience is removed they are just as powerless as any of us.

So the question is: can that obedience be undermined through nonviolent resistance? I think the answer is often yes, and we have seen such things before in history.

On the other hand, even many pacifists acknowledge the righteousness of self defense. So if nonviolent efforts fail and the tyrant comes for you and yours and you have to fight back I won’t fault anyone for this. On the other hand, you can’t and shouldn’t want to engage overwhelming military force on its own terms. That’s not a fight we can ever win head on.

Real experts know and use a variety of names and consciously choose the best one for the specific context and audience in question.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions? It would be really helpful to have a model to follow instead of trying to invent one. I tried to investigate the moderation model on /r/anarchism but I didn’t find any real information.