I’m getting asked a certain question a lot lately. Why pick on minarchists? We’re on the same side! Why aren’t you picking on socialists more? I’m glad I was asked because it made me put some thought into best how to express this with words. What is it about the philosophy of minarchism that really gets up in my craw?

And then it occurred to me. Anarchists and minarchists in one key respect are polar opposites. I’ve said before that there is an ocean between an anarchist and a minarchist, but only a creek between a minarchist and a socialist and I can finally nail it down succinctly. An anarchist believes that a monopoly government is the source of our enslavement. A minarchist believes a monopoly government is crucial to protecting our liberties. Exact opposites! So why do people keep saying we’re on the same side? Presumably it’s because we have similar preferences. We both love liberty.
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Here’s your chance to sell me on the notion so make it good. Bare in mind, however, that I’m a critical thinker and I’m looking for logical arguments without the usual presumptions like “It’s always been done this way.” If we invented really efficient and clean-running hovercrafts, it would be silly to cling to the idea of wheels just because that’s how it’s been done for thousands of years. I’m also tired of arguments from need which are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter how much we need unicorns if they don’t exist or voodoo spells if they don’t work. There’s no point in having a discussion about the benefits of unicorns and their healing and purifying magical powers until someone convinces me they exist or they can create them.
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If you’re a regular reader, you know I’m not a big proponent of voting. In a statist system, it’s usually just a flimsy justification for violence. However, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the idea of voting as long as it’s in a consensual non-violent system. Well, here is just such a case. In the brief video below, I demonstrate a free and easy way to help out this website for those who appreciate the content I work hard to provide at no cost to you. I’ve also created an easy-to-recall URL that you can use to jump straight to the voting page.

http://vote.anarchyinyourhead.com

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This interview will air on several NH channels over the next week. You can find air times on the Capitol Access website. Meanwhile, you can watch it here.

A question that’s been asked several times is what have acts of civil disobedience accomplished in Keene, New Hampshire. I know of a couple of incidents where people refused to pay traffic fines on moral grounds and they got out of paying those fines. Those are small victories. I also have my larger expectations. For instance, I expect local law enforcement and the local justice system to exercise more restraint when they realize that their usual railroading and intimidation tactics don’t work on some of their victims. Instead, we make their jobs harder when they attempt to violate our rights. We don’t want to be in jail, of course, but we don’t necessarily let that threat deter us. Instead we bring attention to it. We stand up to them, defiant yet peaceful, and use it to point out the violence of the system. In turn, I expect that to affect a culture shift whereby many others become more aware of their rights and they’ll become emboldened to stand up for those rights. These are noble goals. But I can’t really point at anything significant and concrete that we’ve accomplished as of yet.

I don’t fault the victim of a street burglar who hands over his wallet rather than risk his life. For the same reason, I don’t fault the person who concedes to the demands of violent governments. We all have to decide for ourselves where our boundaries lie. Having said that, I’ve gotten a better sense of the risks and sacrifices of civil disobedience and what responses to expect from local agents of the State in my own role as a supporter of other activists. What I’ve experienced is my own safety boundaries being gradually pushed further and further out.
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