June 13th, 2012

This is going to be a permanent page. It is a rather long article but I decided not to break it up.

Sources:

A) Neely Fuller jr- The United-Independent Compensatory code/system/concept

B) Merriam Webster’s collegiate Dictionary eleventh edition- 2011

C) Encyclopedia Britannica 2011 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD

D) Wikipedia – First_Zionist_Congress, World Zionist Organization, words as indicated

Definitions:

Enclave: a distinct territorial, cultural, or social unit enclosed within or as if within foreign territory (B)

Freedom movement: People who desire to live free of government rule. Loosely refers to libertarians with an emphasis on propertarian anarchists. The term ‘Our’ or ‘US’ refers to these people. –personal definition

Harm Principle: Activities are permitted so long as they do no harm to third parties or a third party’s property. – personal definition

Ideological Sameness: People have ideological sameness when they share common values regarding activities that affect the way they interact with and view other people and the world. – personal definition

deFOO– I am not sure where the term originated, as I understand it, it means cutting ties to your family of origin.

Heathian anarchism (D)- paraphrasing- voluntary communities formed on corporate owned land and properties where the landlord (the corporation) is responsible for services currently performed by the government.

First, a story:

I am not an ego maniac, my face does not appear on any videos, and I prefer to remain mostly anonymous. I give the following story not for pity or self-aggrandizement, but to illustrate a point.

I grew up poor in a rough neighborhood. When I was a kid, one day a childhood friend and I were riding our bikes. Some kid stood in front of our bikes and demanded we get off them. We giggled and said no, and rode on. On our way back home, we took the same route (foolishly, I see now). We saw the same guy, but he had 4 other guys with him. They stopped us and said again, give us your bikes. He then punched my friend in the face.

In an attempt to reason and buy time my friend said “Why are you doing this?”

The answer was “Because we can.”

My friend rubbing his swollen cheek now said “What did you hit me for?”

To which this loser responded “What are you going to do about it?”

I look back to this time and even then, it was clear to me how the world worked. It doesn’t matter “why” someone aggresses against you if you cannot stop them, at the end of the day the question you have to ask yourself is “What am I willing to do about it?”

For most people in the freedom movement, it seems the answer is anything but physically fight.

“Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” –Thucydides, wikiquote

When you grow up in a rough neighborhood, you get an appreciation for self-reliance, self-defense, and the necessity for taking responsibility for your security yourself. I don’t know how many of the readers have a similar experience, but cops don’t come within a 20 minute time frame when you call them in a bad neighborhood if indeed they respond at all.

You have to experience these things to realize the value of strength in numbers. You have to have the boot on your neck, personally, to understand why people work towards defending themselves against it and why people hate the police state so deeply. How many Libertarians have never even been in a fight? It is hard for me to take advice on defense from people who have never even scuffled.

The need motivation to take a different and more involved approach to attaining freedom can be summarized in this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACoymMYx8E0&feature=plcp

Do you hate the state by Murray N. Rothbard.

I have already spoken about what I think about teaming up with other sects in the post about ‘problems in the freedom movement’

If you don’t have a seething desire in your gut to get as far away from these thieves and murderers as you can and/or to do whatever you can to maximize your ability to stand against them then not this, nor any other solution will help you. If you are comfortable, perhaps middle class or with a young family I can understand your desire for the status quo. Family life and the need of stability tend to quench the flames of radicalism. Just because you can’t be on the front lines travelling and making connections and business deals does not mean you cannot help. Most of the US army roles are support roles, relatively few soldiers actually get engaged in firefights.

In my case, I am definitely a button pusher, and with the ultimate button being absent, I think the best button that can be pushed is the method I will speak about here.

A Bit of Theory:

I wrote previously that there are two types of ideologues: those that want to change the world and those that want to live by their ideological principles themselves. This is the difference between the Jehovah’s witnesses and the Amish. I am interested in living a better live more in line with my ideological principles over proselytizing my views to the mainstream.

The 5 ways to live freely:

What does it mean, in real terms, to live a life consistent with your principles?

First, you should take some time to consider just how small your ideological group is. To most people you are viewed as a terrorist, a criminal, and a radical. If you started talking openly about, say, anarcho-capitalism people would think you are insane and might seriously consider calling the FBI.( In my proselytizing phase, I have had people seriously ask me if I was going to blow something up. These suspicions always left me speechless.)

According to 2009 CDC numbers, around 2.5 mil people died in 2009, and about 500k people regularly vote libertarian. Reference the 2008 presidential race, for example. About 5 times more people die every year than are actively voting libertarian. My god.

The question for you to consider personally is, in terms of everyday life, what is the difference between living under a state and living without a state? Is it the absence of taxes, laws and police? Is it the presence of a market where I can purchase and sell things I could not before?

Well, if you can bear life as it is with a weed-man and some lower taxes, it hardly seems worth it to go out and join some kind of enclave. Accept your role as an armchair member of the movement.

For me, life without a state would mean minimizing my effective taxes and fees and my interactions with police and other bureaucrats while maximizing my wealth and quality of life and having access to anything I desire to acquire. Still, I would be willing to tolerate a lower standard of living for a while if it just meant getting away from state agents.

I would characterize the culture of many ancaps I have spoken to at various liberty oriented events as the following:

Keep what you earn.

While observing the harm principle, do what you want when you want without being harassed or attacked or forced to behave in a certain manner.

Produce products and services and trade them freely and profitably.

Obtaining security of one’s person and property.

After you decide how life would be different under your ideal system, ask yourself : How can I arrange my life to be as close to that ideal as possible?

Option one: Live as a criminal/terrorist

You pay no taxes, no fines, no tickets, and you never register to drive or to start a business. Maybe you freely purchase drugs and prostitutes. You don’t have any money in the bank and you horde gold and silver. You run or patronize black market business.

This mode of existence, while noble perhaps, is not practical for most people. You need luck to survive like this and money to pay off the system if/when you get caught. Thing bought and sold on the black market are usually more expensive. You also take risks holding, selling, and buying illicit material outside of a trusted circle. The system is good at flipping even trusted buyers and sellers in this regard as well.

I suspect that criminal lifestyle is also not compatible with the standard of living many people prefer. There is also your personal well-being and criminal record to consider. Not everyone in the black market re honorable or ideological and the prospect of getting shot or stabbed are higher. Even if you are doing something as innocent as selling raw milk, you can still get arrested and a record adversely affects your future employment opportunities. Finally, the IRS will bend you over, and fuck you with no lube if they catch wind of your activities.

Option two: Go off the grid

So you don’t want to use government services or roads and you think you won’t have to pay taxes. Maybe you will buy some land and live off the wild.

First of all this is extremely difficult as a form of living if you go the survivalist way. Eventually, you will still need to buy stuff, which means you will pay taxes. Any land you buy anywhere I am aware of requires you to pay property taxes. Erecting some kind of hut or cabin might make your susceptible to building codes, depending on the size.

Perhaps you will try to live in a ‘public’ park? Well in this case you will have to dodge park rangers and in both cases you will still be subject to the State’s whims.

How about living on a farm? Well, the department of agriculture will slap some kind of bullshit n you under the guise of interstate commerce. Even if you want to live on a boat, you need lots of money for food, fuel maintenance, docking fees, etc.

There is a viable option here but you need a lot of money to do it. You could in theory build sustainable buildings with “green” technology to preserve your standard of living. For example, you can get solar panels, wind mills, and water heaters and pressurizers for houses not connected to any central grid.

Still, because of the structures on your land you will be assessed at higher tax levels and you would probably need some kind of permit for a large wind mill. This is an expensive option, but if you’ve got the bread, go for it.

Option 3: Get Rich…. This is an observable working strategy where the rich pretty much do what they want. The current system works out for many of those in the rich class. Even though many of them get hammered with taxes, thanks to the law of marginal utility the last million off a 10 million dollar deal is hardly felt. Furthermore, any rich guy with two brain cells has an accountant and many ways of writing off even the most arcane expenses, donations, and “losses”. Also, if you were that rich, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. HAHAHA.

Option 4: You can form an enclave. Find a group of like-minded people and live as you like around them. Enclaves exist for different communities. For example, even though smoking weed is illegal, you can go to a smoker’s enclave and smoke unmolested. Enclaves in sex industry, where people can engage in this activity without penalty, are called brothels. Enclaves in the agriculture business, where people can go to get fresh meat, raw milk and other unprocessed goods are called farmer’s markets. I don’t see why an enclave could not be built around a community that wanted to live lives as anarchists. Forming or joining an enclave gives you access to a community that is on the same page.

Option 5: Leave: Try to find somewhere else where you can be free.

Ahhh the good ol’ love it or leave it argument. It is usually reserved for the last line after you have destroyed all statist arguments one has. It turns out after all this time that they were right! No, not in any logical, rational or, some would say, ethical sense, but in the ‘I will shoot you if you don’t live as I want you to’ sense. If I could I would, believe me, but I can’t, so I have to make due here the best I can. If I wanted to create a place where I could indeed go, it would take a lot of people and resources to get it done.

Going to another country doesn’t solve the problem. You will still be taxed and still be expected to obey whatever laws the local politicians conjure up laws. There are also issues with citizenship, culture and language. To start a new nation project costs massive amounts of money and requires large numbers of people- two things that are difficult to come by in the freedom movement let alone the ancap community. To colonize anywhere new will take loads and loads of resources. Founding a free territory would be the tactic that I would advocate if I had the money and the support. To do this option, you would need to form an enclave first anyway in order to coordinate manpower and money.

I advocate finding people who have ideological sameness, and forming communities, businesses, and social organizations with them A.K.A the ‘Enclave Method’ as the best method of achieving as much freedom as possible in ones of life in one’s lifetime.

Why?

This method has been done in the past, successfully.

This method can be implemented literally tomorrow.

This method can be used as a precursor to a new nation project if the members deem this desirable.

This method does not take a lot of people, as an enclave can be as little as two people working together for a common goal. A few people pooling resources and working together can achieve much more than the individual can.

This method does not require a permanent geographic territory. Enclaves can move or even be virtual in nature. Enclaves exist and operate within other larger nations.

Enclaves could organize and fund off the grid communities with modern amenities since the cost could be spread out among the members.

Having an enclave means you have “backup” or people you can call upon for assistance.

This method is easy to organize through exploitation of modern technology, especially information technology.

Using this method, it is easier for members to enrich themselves because a market is created and people in the enclave can pool resources, capital and skills for the acquisition of assets and the execution of projects.

What would an enclave do?

Whatever the members want it to do.

Enclaves can engage in activities that enrich the lives of its members, the purchase of assets such as property, stock, businesses, gadgets, insurance, legal services, or anything else the members or leadership think will improve the lives of the members and move it toward the goals the members have agreed to or defined.

I am not the first to advocate a method like this and hopefully I won’t be the last. On the left, people organized themselves into communes. There was also a form of anarchy called Heathian Anarchy that while different in its execution and theory, has similar characteristics to what I advocate.

There may be many more examples, but these are the examples I found in the research I did for this article.

Examples of the Enclave Method Working in History and Today

In business school they say one of the best methods of gauging the market and innovating your own business is to mimic successful businesses by studying and observing what current operating businesses are doing.

New nations pop into existence regularly and the concept of starting a new nation is not as absurd as many make it sound. To quickly illustrate this point, here are some examples of recent new nations you can research via cia-factbook or Wikipedia.:

Yugoslavia, East Timor 2002, Montenegro 2006,Kosovo 2006,Serbia 2006, South Sudan July 2011

Zionism (C) (D)

Perhaps one of the most well-known examples of a New Nation project is the formation of Israel.

The group that provided organization, funding, and direction for the creation of Israel was the Zionist Organization founded by the First Zionist Congress. Their goal was to create a Jewish state and this was later defined to necessarily be within Palestine. ( The Zionists were offered land outside of Palestine and rejected it)

The congresses were held periodically and had membership made up of Jews from all over the world from every walk of life. Many, if not all, of these Jews were dues paying members. With the dues, initiatives were funded and land was bought and slowly arrogated in Palestine. The dues helped to grow their war chest, which would be critical during the Arab-Israeli war.

The Jews tried to be nonviolent in the face of encroaching government and it did not work out for them too well. Taking a more aggressive approach to nation building was part of their response to it.

Look, you might hate Jews or Israel, but as a matter of fact they have always known how to practice group economics and when it comes to creating a sovereign nation they succeeded in 50 years from the first Zionist council. The Jews know how to organize. They had a goal, they planned to accomplish it, they took whatever steps were necessary to accomplish it, and they succeeded. I do not like the aggressive stance Israel has in the world, nor how it uses America to bully its enemies. However, given the way Jews have been treated throughout history their aggressive stance is not a surprise.

I wonder how much longer we have until we face an anarchist question. Are people who are not patriotic Americans?

Or maybe an atheist question, are people who don’t agree with the majority of American in the divinity of Christ real Americans? Turn on any Fox news broadcast and these questions are thrown around every day and people our set of values are already being Identified as potential terrorists.

One of the truly remarkable thing about Zionism is that they came together from countries and ghettos all over the earth WITHOUT the use of the Internet. How much easier would such a thing be today? I wonder if it would be possible to collect all ancaps in the world and try to unify them under a single project. I can only hope that it would not be like herding cats.

Mormons (C)(D)

The Mormons have enclaves that are colonies around Utah, Colorado and Arizona. Many of these colonies are known for polygamy.

Joseph Smith, along with 15,000 members, founded his own city Nauvoo at one point in the mid 19th century.

Perhaps an interesting historical note, the Mormons suffered armed skirmishes in Missouri where they originally settled, and after they killed a wagon train that passed through their territory the US government sent a military expedition to deal with them. The Utah Militia stood ready to fight and instead of fighting they came to a settlement. This was known as “Buchanan’s blunder”

Have a look at the Salt Lake Temple (Google it)

From its humble beginnings the Mormon church has accumulated many businesses and organizations. It has lots of money, and many enclaves through the US and the world where Mormons can collaborate.

“The church has organized several tax-exempt corporations to assist with the transfer of money and capital. These include the Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized in 1916 under the laws of the state of Utah to acquire, hold, and dispose of real property. In 1923, the church incorporated the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah to receive and manage money and church donations. In 1997, the church incorporated Intellectual Reserve, Inc. to hold all the church’s copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property. The church also holds several non-tax-exempt corporations…”

I hate to break it to you, but religions are a business. If you did not know this before, you know it now. Religions are also an excellent way to organize a movement and collect people who adhere to a specific worldview.

“The church has also invested in for-profit business…, and cattle ranches in Utah, Florida, Nebraska, Canada and other locations. However, these ranches are split between Church Welfare Work (Bishops’ Storehouse and Welfare Square) for which funds are used from tithing and are not for profit.”

As a note, J. Willard Marriott was the Mormon who started the Marriott hotel chain in 1927. 2011 Net income was around $700 million. What could any movement do with 700 million dollars?

“The church’s young men’s and young women’s organizations (formerly known as the Mutual Improvement Association – MIA, or simply “Mutual”) meet at the meetinghouse once a week, where the youth participate in activities…. Other popular activities are basketball, family history conferences, youth and singles conferences, dances, and various personal improvement classes. Church members may also reserve the building at no cost for weddings, receptions, and funerals.”

So the church members pool money to pay for buildings and assets that all members may have access to and reserve the use of.

Amish (C)(D)

“In the late 20th century there were more than 150,000 Amish living in more than 200 Old Order Amish settlements in the United States and Canada”

The Amish live in enclaves called settlements where they have been mostly left to their own devices until recently. I hear they have been raided over raw milk. As absurd as that might sound, I am not surprised. Women used to be drowned for being witches, after all.

“…members meet in each other’s homes. There are no church buildings.”

Even if you don’t have a lot of money at first, one’s own home can be used to get an enclave started.

“The Amish are not involved in state or national politics, and they do not serve in the military. They also disavow social security and most types of insurance, often pooling their resources to help Amish families in need.”

This is interesting, as apparently the Amish are less involved in the government than some self-proclaimed anarchists. The Amish pool money for an internal charity system.

The Amish have been living in enclaves since the 1700’s. They produce baked gods, quilts, furniture and crops and use these to trade with the outside world.

Because the Amish live in their own towns, on their own land, far away from other people, they could take as many drugs and buy as many prostitutes as they wanted to and no one would know. For all we know, they could be doing that right now. Of course, having settlements and communities that are isolated from the world at large lends the inhabitants a higher degree of freedom. Just because facilities are located away from other municipal Areas doesn’t mean you can’t have electricity.

The technology exists to enable people to live “off the grid” but still maintain a modern standard of living, but it is often very expensive.

Cultural Enclaves Little Italy, Little Havana, China Town, Jewish Communities etc. etc.

People with common cultures have always clustered in communities, ghettos or enclaves. During the phases of European immigration to America there were cultural enclaves based upon country of origin and language. Examples are Irish, Greek, Italian, German and Jewish neighborhoods.

Many of these enclaves still exist today such as China Town, Little Italy in NYC or Little Havana in Florida. The Jews are well known for having tight knit communities in Brooklyn and other boroughs of NYC. Jewish community centers have gyms, meeting rooms, auditoriums and Jews patronize other Jewish businesses before others. There are Jewish brands complete with Jewish independent quality control (Kosher)

And of course, there are Jewish banks XD.

Every community has its own shops, residential areas, parks, nightlife and entertainment, accepted norms and a ton of protections and privileges members of that community are privy to.

As a real life personal example, there are a lot of Bosnian refugees around a town I do business in. The Bosnians have a community. They have Bosnian stores, Bosnian Mosques, Bosnian clubs and Bosnian councilmen. There are large gatherings at the houses of prominent Bosnians. The police don’t bother the Bosnians and if they do there is a large number of people who will back up the victims. Every Wednesday night, the Bosnian youth have street races and the police do nothing about it. There are probably a good deal of Bosnian police officers now as well.

Scientology –

“The Sea Org, comprising over 5,000 members, has been compared to the monastic orders found in other religions; it is composed of the most dedicated adherents, who work for nominal compensation and symbolically express their religious commitment by signing a billion-year contract.”

What I like here is that they have a core of ‘radicals’ who keep the organization together and around which the rest of the members can orbit. I am sure there have to be scientologists willing to die in order to protect the religion.

“Scientology has an internal justice system (the Ethics system) designed to deal with unethical or antisocial behavior. Ethics officers are present in every org; they are tasked with ensuring correct application of Scientology technology and deal with violations such as non-compliance with standard procedures or any other behavior adversely affecting an org’s performance, ranging from errors and misdemeanors to crimes and suppressive acts, as defined by internal documents.”

“A controversial part of the Scientology justice system is the Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) When a Sea Org member is accused of a violation, such as lying, sexual misconduct, dereliction of duty, or failure to comply with Church policy, a Committee of Evidence examines the case. If the charge is substantiated, the individual may accept expulsion from the Sea Org or participate in the RPF to become eligible to rejoin the Sea Org.”

So it seems that Scientology has its own independent justice system and no such anarchist institutions exist even though they go on and on about the competition of private courts and PDAs and insurance.

In summary, scientology has spread all across the globe in 40-50 years. It has offices and networks in countries all over the world. It has many umbrella organizations both for profit and non-profit. It is even powerful enough to carry out operations against governments. Ex- Operation Snow White (wiki this) even if you disagree with their doctrine, their organizational progress is on point. What is particularly interesting is that they don’t have millions upon millions of members.

The church of Scientology provides life improvement centers for its members’ health and fitness as well as many other facilities and services.

Lord, how can there be more scientologists than anarcho-capitalists?

They even have their own cruise ship called the “Freewinds”

I could never wrap my mind around it… how could people believe things so out there? How could they have so much support and be in such an advanced position when their ideology is based on aliens. How can more people believe in a space opera than “Keep what you earn, do what you want as long as no one is hurt and nothing is broken, treat people with respect, produce and trade freely”

Are these ideas really that radical? Well the American public gave us their answer: YES! It’s so radical it’s ridiculous. And to a lot of people, anarcho-capitalist ideas are more ridiculous than 100 million year old invisible alien spirits. This is the world we live in.

Trementina Base- (Google it)

They even have a remote underground base right out of some cool Sci-fi or spy movie. What could you do with a remote underground base dedicated to libertarian research and projects? Whatever the fuck you wanted to, that’s what. The Church of Scientology could change its name to ‘Corba’ tomorrow and it would fit.

I don’t have a fetish for Jews or scientologists but one has to admit they have their organizations running effectively and their members are living their lives as they see fit with a strong netwroks ready to back them and to help them achieve their life goals regardless of who’s in power or what laws are on the books.

Freemasonry (D)

Oh lordy, the conspiracy theorists are going to have a fit.

Shady backroom dealings aside, as an organization that benefits it’s members, freemasonry is perhaps one of the shining examples of success. These societies work out of Lodges which act as community centers and are comparable to scientology’s life improvement centers.

“A Lodge must hold regular meetings at a fixed place and published dates. It will elect, initiate and promote its members and officers; it will build up and manage its property and assets, including its minutes and records; and it may own, occupy or share its premises. Like any organization, it will have formal business to manage its meetings and proceedings, annual general meetings and committees, charity funds, correspondence and reports, membership and subscriptions, accounts and tax returns, special events and catering, and so forth. The balance of activities is individual to each Lodge, and under their common constitutions and forms of procedure, Lodges evolve very distinctive traditions.”

I am not going to go into the bullshit they believe, the purpose of mentioning them is to show that Masons create enclaves in cities and towns where their members are. These enclaves are centered around Lodges. Anything can go on in those lodges. Again, they have their own codes of conduct, look out for members’ interests, and work behind the scenes to accumulate capital, connections, and to bring about favorable change if necessary.

Skull and Bones (D)

Ooooooo another scary reptilian holographic secret society form the hollow moon. I can hear the ominous music now. I just added these guys because they operate out of Yale.

Have a look at the Yale Clubhouse of New York

“The 22-story clubhouse contains three dining rooms (a grill room, a tap room, and a roof dining room and terrace), two bars (the grill room and the main lounge), banquet rooms for up to 500 people, 140 guestrooms, a library, an athletic center, and a barber shop, among other amenities. The heart of the clubhouse is the main lounge, a large room with a high, ornate ceiling and wood-paneled walls lined with fireplaces and portraits of the five Yale-educated American presidents…”

Why couldn’t there be a clubhouse in New York dedicated to Ancap type dealings? We could operate in the shadows and plot the demise of all tyrannies. We will adopt the name ‘Cobra’ and clone the president…Hmmmm… clearly I have been writing too long and will take a break now. I personally think something like this club would be pretty sweet even if all we did in it was throw liberty themed parties. I am daydreaming again (To the agents, I do not want to plot to overthrow any government, this is hyperbole.)

Gangs, Mafias, Cartels

The Mafia got its start from bootlegging alcohol during prohibition, and they then branched out into other businesses, legitimate and otherwise. Arguably, Las Vegas was built on this money.

Gangs control street territory and have a network of members who look out for each other’s interests.

Cartels are well organized gangs with their own military wings. Cartels have been known to infiltrate the US military for free training and capital. Cartels in Mexico rival the Federal police in size, funding, military power, and influence.

All of the above don’t take bullshit from anyone and if they can’t pay their way out of trouble those cops, judges, politicians, or whatever title or uniforms they give themselves, will have serious problems. If nothing else I have to say I admire the fact that these groups get respect because they are not afraid to apply force when there are no other peaceful options.

Conclusions

I said in a previous post that freedom minded individuals are like nudists trying to legislate nudism. The best method of living life as a nudists is to find or found a nudist colony. We are ideological nudists.

And so, based on all of these case studies among others not listed here, I have come to the following position:

The enclave method is an effective strategy for groups that make up a small portion of a population to organize in order to live a life more consistent with their values.

Ancaps who are serious about improving their lifestyle will seek to create and maintain enclaves that can be used to further their agendas and to collaborate with still other enclaves.

Once the enclaves are created, they can engage in any, all or none of the following activates that have been shown to increase a group’s wealth, influence, and power:

Business: Providing seed money for businesses, Gaining control of a local industry, Using the skills of members to generate products or services, Buying and selling businesses on the group’s behalf

Assets: Buying Stocks, Bonds, Trusts, Endowments, Gold, Silver

Real Estate: Buying Land, Buildings, Facilities and Populating Neighborhoods, Communities,

Social Benefits: Insurance Pools, Fitness Clubs, Job and Learning Opportunities, Charity

Or any other projects the members agree to.

It’s not really the ‘trueness’ of an ideology that matters, it is the ability of the members of a given ideology to organize that determines its vitality. I think people’s life experiences determine what ideologies they are susceptible to in addition to the way that a given ideology is communicated to them. While obviously, the existence of an ideology should be communicated, it should not be pushed on people in a proselytizing manner.

Many libertarians get depressed and feel isolated because most people don’t share their views. They also get depressed by seeing failure after failure on political and activist fronts and by having people they supported throw them under the bus. I think the enclave method is a way of making changes in your own life and those of the people around you. The people who identify themselves with these ideals have to decide what they want and actually take action to bring it into existence. I am advocating an actual change in your own life to improve your own circumstances. If the left-anarchists and communists (to their credit) can form communes, we anarcho-capitalists should at least be able get some businesses going!

If no group currently exists that is doing what you want to do, start your own group yourself!

A Step by Step guide to starting your own SHIT: How to Create an Enclave

Ideology- Think about your own ideology and what matters to you the most. Think about whether or not working in a group will benefit your personal situation. Write it down in concise terms.

Plan: If you had a group, what would its purpose be? Write down short, medium, and long term goals. Try to quantify in terms of dollars and personnel as much as you can, the more specific the better. What do you think a good rule set would be?

Communicate: Find other with similar beliefs in the areas that are most important to you. You can do this at liberty oriented events, over the Internet, in your local city or town, maybe even in your own family. Talk with these possible members about what they would like to see happen in their own lives.

Organize: Choose what type of entity would best suit your purposes. You can be a Non- profit group, a corporation, or an LLC. Choose where to incorporate. If everyone is from your state or city you might as well incorporate there. For a bigger movement I would suggest NV, WY, or DE as these are some of the most popular states to incorporate. All of this can be done over the Internet or phone. A legal entity gives you limited liability, allows you to raise capital easily and allows for a common bank account and a common title to assets that are acquired. You can find boilerplate bylaws and legal language from nolo or legal zoo. Determine how you will handle ownership, meetings, stock, the charter, and other administrative issues. If you decide to invest in a HQ, make sure it is in a State with laws that are suitable to whatever purposes your group has in mind.

Background check all of your members: You should do this before you accept any money or membership. Hire skip tracers, bonding agents, other companies to look into the backgrounds of your members with personal information. (social security number, DOB, License, work history, references etc.) You need to be able to trust these people, especially any executives or officers and anyone remotely associated with money counting or collecting. Have mechanisms in place to identify and excommunicate suspected agents quickly.

The government has departments that are absolute unrivaled masters at infiltration and the sowing of discord. Your number one fear should be infiltration, and your number two fear should be having someone who was legitimately involved become an agent AKA ‘flipping’. Most groups of this nature crumble from within when key personnel defect.

Begin to Operate: Once you have gotten your shit together, issue a capital call (fancy term for asking members to fund a specific project). Take the money and buy whatever assets, invest in whatever businesses, or engage in whatever projects you set forth in your charter and in your meetings with your members. Keep your meetings regular and accurate (you can do this via encrypted electronic means if distance is an issue)

Celebrate and Mark Milestones: In your plan you should have milestone or quantifiable and verifiable goals that when reached, signal another phase of the plan. These should be noted to encourage the group to continue to operate successfully.

Why do I focus so heavily on ideology?

I think ideology is the most powerful force in human affairs. I came to this conclusion after doing a vigorous survey of history to determine the motivating factors of human behavior, about which I could probably write a book. Under a given ideology a human being can forgo food and water to the point of death. Indeed, he can be made to take the life of himself and/or others under the motivation of an ideology. He can sit peacefully and allow himself to be tortured brutalized and killed or he can fight until every calorie in in every cell of his body has been expended. From Unics to Bushido Samurai, from chivalrous knights who took blood oaths to kamikaze pilots to modern day suicide bombers, ideology enables human beings to perpetrate any action. Any group that seeks to accomplish goals in this world must be centered on a clearly defined and agreed upon ideology so that there is unity in purpose, especially when the numbers of said group are very small.

Ideological Sameness: People have ideological sameness when they share common values regarding activities that affect the way they interact with and view other people and the world.

The areas of activity below might be a good place to start mapping out your own ideological profile. If you have stances in these areas that are very important to you, search for people who hold similar views. Naturally, each person will place different values on these and other categories. The two most important factors that determine the quality of a person is their character and ideology. Find people with a character that is acceptable to you and determine if their ideology matches your own in the areas that matter to you.

Someone who has a similar ideology but has a lying or thieving character is no good to you. Someone who has a good honest hardworking character can be involved in limited capacities, but eventually you may run into serious ideological disagreements. Ideological disagreements lead to defection.

What is the best system to organize human society? How should human beings relate to one another? The answers to these questions determine whether or not people will get along. The point of seeking ideological sameness is to minimize material (vs. arbitrary) irreconcilable differences. It doesn’t matter what color shirts you prefer (arbitrary) or what your favorite ice cream flavor is (arbitrary), but it does matter whether or not you think someone should be shot for smoking a joint (material).

To say some one is an atheist says nothing about what other beliefs they hold. It would be a mistake to hear that someone is an atheist and assume to you know what they think about other issues. An atheist might be a republican or a democrat, or something else altogether. An atheist might be spiritual and superstitious, and just not believe in a divine deity. The same is true for the term anarchist. These terms are negative positions and more information is needed to understand a person’s worldview.

Crafting Ideologies

Spell out the critical views, give it a name or an “ism”

The ‘ism’ stand for the positive things you support and not just the negative.

Areas of people activity (A)

(1)Economics, (2)Education, (3)Entertainment, (4)Labor, (5)Law, (6)Politics, (7)Religion, (8)Sex and (9)War

Economics-

What are the groups positions on economic issues? Do you believe in private property? What will the rules be regarding it?

Education-

Are you one of those home schooling enthusiasts? What about higher education, is it legitimate?

Entertainment-

Should there be censorship? How is news spread? What forms of communication will be used?

Labor-

Do you believe there should be minimum age? Is all labor wage slavery. Are profits theft?

Law-

How are rules made and enforced? What are rules based on: consensus, some holy-principle or maybe ‘objective’ moral law. What are the rules governing interactions, if any? How about codes of conduct?

Politics-

How should your ideal world be organized? Who are the leaders and how are they chosen? Who should make decisions. Do you believe in the constitution?

How does the group relate to other groups and through what mechanism? How about race relations? Do you hate or fear black people? Do you think women are inferior? Do you hate the Jews?

How about drugs policies? Would you be comfortable around a bunch of pot heads? Do you believe in conspiracies like chemtrails and alternate dimensions? What about ‘animal rights’?

Religion-

Do you adhere to a religious dogma? Do you want to spread your religion or practice in private? What set of ‘moral’ or values do you adhere to and expect others to adhere to?

Sex-

Is marriage legitimate as a religious sacrament or a state license? Is marriage legitimate at all?

What are your views on Abortion?

How about your views on prostitution? Does what people do with their genitals in their homes in the dark under the sheets make you feel bad?

Do you buy into ‘traditional family values’ or do you want to ‘deFOO’.

War-

Do you believe in a common defense? Under what circumstances would you support the use of force? Would you support a militia?

Define your ‘ism’ by the answer to these questions and see if there are others with the same ideological set.

Pacifism, Civil disobedience, Non-compliance, other Bullshit

Group activity is the name of the game in this world. Just because you act as a group does not mean you cannot keep your individuality.

Just because you use government services and exploit the system does not mean you are somehow compromising your values. Taking your money out of the bank and trying to grow your own food or some shit is only going to hamper your ability to do business. If you are worried about food buy canned food and store it. You have to use banks to do business, especially if you want to expand.

Get off your high horse. When your face is in the mud, you saying “well at least I didn’t get a parking permit” isn’t going to change anything. They don’t play fair and they don’t give a fuck about your morality or ideological consistency. The instant they get the order, they will kick in your door and kill your whole family. If you don’t believe they would, then you don’t really believe the state is all that bad or you haven’t seen what’s been happening in Syria, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and many other middle eastern countries where the state is mowing people down like blades of grass. Right now you stand naked to that kind of aggression. With an enclave, perhaps it would be different.

I am interested in winning, and succeeding in achieving my goals. I don’t really care how I get there, and I certainly don’t believe I owe the state any respect or moral consideration. I don’t believe prisoners owe respect or moral consideration to prison guards. I don’t think the slaves owed respect or moral consideration to slave masters or overseers.

I do not believe in military strikes, insurgencies, assassination politics, or any other violent acts against the state or its agents as a matter of strategy. First of all, I am not trying to change the nation at all as this is an impossible and unrealistic goal. Not only does no one have the will, time, skills or money to waste on these bloody endeavors, but they just won’t work because the state exists in the mind of the people. I do, however, believe in self-defense against anyone who initiates aggression unjustly, where the determination of what is just and unjust is determined by a predefined set of rules agreed upon.

Instead of breaking stuff and throwing Molotov cocktails and temper tantrums we can organize and use the same energy to productively improve our lives. Pay what you have to in order to avoid death or imprisonment, follow the law as best you can and make enough money to get away from the insane masses.

A Word on Group Economics:

How much money would it take to get started?

Obviously, this depends on what the goals of the group are.

I am not rich. A recent tax return clocked me at just over $6,000 yearly reported income (And yes, I had to pay state taxes on even that. >:O )

However, I can afford putting money into a pot, even if it’s something like 100 a month or I could have afforded a larger lump sum for a specific project.

This website costs me 99 cents a year to operate, and the blog and forum software are free. There is no excuse not to try to reach out to like-minded people, if only on the web.

Prospects for Success:

The biggest fear libertarians have, as far as I can see, is negative public image. They are paranoid about being seen as fringe, dangerous and crazy, even though they are already seen as fringe, dangerous and crazy. I would not be surprised if people reject this method because it might make them look cultish… even though people already view many forms of libertarianism as a cult. I don’t know how many people even consider themselves part of the loosely termed freedom movement. I have no idea how many ancaps exist in the world, let alone ancaps who are atheistic. All I can say is I think it’s worth a shot.

Examples of Enclaves in Progress:

La Estancia De Cafayate in Salta, Argentina by Doug Casey

http://www.laestanciadecafayate.com/

My thoughts: I would have to say that this is the best Anarcho-capitalist answer to the numerous examples of left anarchistic communes throughout history. I would have to say ideologically, as far as politics and religion are concerned, Doug Casey is very close to my own set of values. Morally he seems to be closer to my own view, where in a speech on YouTube he gave his two rules as: Do as you will and accept the consequences. The only drawbacks I see with this enclave is that 1) I am not rich and its fucking expensive, (which is not to say a group of individuals couldn’t pitch in and buy a plot) and 2) it’s in Argentina, and the Argentinian government is probably just as bad as the US. Furthermore, I am not sure if Argentina allows gun ownership. I prefer having the last ditch option of shooting. I guess a third would be I don’t speak Spanish, but that’s my shortfall.

I think this is the speech referenced: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mtOWPJFD0w

Doug Casey, Capitalism and Morality 2011 Conference.

New liberty trust by Terry Parks

newlibertytrust.org

I like where this project is going. Although the Global Country for World Piece tried this method, I wish him all the best. This is a more religious and minarchist approach, but I support the concept of breaking away and starting a sovereign micro-state or city state.

Sea-Steading

www.seasteading.org/

I think these people are taking steps in the right direction. I think the people behind the project are mostly minarchist. However, they do have a lot of people supporting it and a billionaire willing to help them reach their vision and , therefore, they have a real chance at experiencing the life they want in their lifetimes. They are actually getting off their ass and doing something to try to achieve their vision and I applaud that. I wish them all the best.

Las Torres Gemelas Private Suites by Jeff Berwick in Acapulco, Mexico

http://ltgps.com/

http://www.acacondos.com/about/

Jeff is more ambiguous about his religious beliefs. The fact that I don’t know about his religious beliefs might be a testament to his non-proselytizing attitude, but again I don’t know.

I checked out his sites and it doesn’t seem he is restricting purchases to libertarians or anything so I am not sure if this is an enclave in the true sense of the word or not. I looked at some prices and again, I am not rich enough to do it. Of course, again, this is in Mexico where gun laws are very strict and there is currently a drug war going on. Also, I don’t speak Spanish. By contrast (on the YouTube videos at least) Doug Casey said he wanted freedom minded people to move to his enclave.

Free State Project

http://freestateproject.org/

The freestate project is based in New Hampshire, these kind and peace loving folks have attempted to turn New Hampshire into a minarhcist government. I have to say, these are some of the nicest people I have ever fucking met, they are so out of place in the current barbaric world we occupy.

Well, of course, it’s located in America which is currently circling the toilet hole. At the very least, you can shoot to defend yourself if it comes to that.

I think the scope is too large, especially given their numbers. Even with all 20,000 people, they would be unable to gain a majority. The ‘state’ should have been a specific city if not a village. They could have chosen somewhere warmer for christ sake. I also think the ideologies are not coherent enough as there is everything from tea party conservatives to Marxist left anarchists in the movement. Still, it is the only enclave I know about in America and it has people who actually got off their ass and put their money where their mouth is as opposed to trolling forums and arguing over whether or not dogs have rights.

So…What about your enclave?

As you might have guessed by know, if you are even still reading this, eventually I would indeed like to start my own enclave that will operate as an investment group and business/social club. Eventually, I would like to see an Ancap answer to the Venus project, but that would be far down the road.

I will soon formulate my own project and put it forth as an option for those who agree with my methodology and ideology. If you are interested in learning more join the forum I have provided (the registration email might show up in your spam folder).

Here are some of my views. They can be summed up s follows: Where there is consent and no harm to a third party there is no crime. Where there is harm or lack of consent there is compensation and we defer to the victim for punishment and preference in proceedings.

Economics-

I am a Capitalist, meaning that I advocate a system that private ownership of the means of production, a respect for private property where profit and loss determines the allocation of resources in t a free market. I also think the answer to the problem of those facing oppression is to accumulate money and power and to use said money and power to improve your circumstances. This means engaging in profitable business wherever and whenever you can find it.

I think transactions should be voluntary and contractual. I have studied Austrian Economics and I find many of its theories to be logically sound. Although gold and silver would be nice in some future economy, it is more practical to continue to use the US dollar as currency.

I advocate standard and university taught business practices especially when operating within the existing system.

My personal business strategy as of now consists of building multiple income streams over time. My risk level is low to moderate. I like undervalued real estate as a buy-fix-hold-rent strategy.

Education-

I think how people educate their children is their own business. However, one might consider creating a curriculum to teach children the value of these ideas if one is concerned about passing them onto future generations. While most schooling is absolute bullshit, some college majors are effective in teaching people new skills, especially technical skills. Even when you already know a given discipline, you still need the paper for certification.

Entertainment-

People can watch whatever entertainment they want as long as I am free to change my channel.

Labor-

Austrian economics is clear on this issue where people should be free to contract to work at whatever price they see fit. Under capitalism, profits and losses are signals that indicate efficiency or waste.

Law-

I am a proponent of the harm principle and agreed upon codes of conduct and etiquette and the enforcement of contracts by competing third party agencies.

Politics-

Anarcho-Capitalism- Where I believe social issues can be solved by people organizing themselves as they see fit and by companies offering solutions to these problems in a free market.

I do not prejudge people on the basis of sex or race or other biological factors. I think character and ideology are the most important factors when considering the worth of a human being. Indeed I think people who are racist or sexist are detestable and I want nothing to do with them.

I don’t believe in any conspiracy theories that are super natural or extraordinary in nature. Still, it is obvious that people with wealth and power network with each other. If this is called a conspiracy then I have definitely been a part of conspiracies, if on a smaller scale. I think people can put whatever they want into their bodies as long as I am unaffected.

I view animals as property and therefore the responsibility of their owners.

Religion-

I am a strong atheist. This means that if I had a button to eradicate all churches and religious agents tomorrow I’d break my finger pushing it. I don’t proselytize my atheism, however, and I can tolerate people who don’t proselytize their beliefs in my personal life, although I think religions would be a fundamental and irreconcilable issue to overcome in any enclave.

History tells me that religions are excellent tools for control. Furthermore religion seems to obstruct people’s ability to think critically. It irks me when people cite scripture for justifying censoring an action I want to take. In the holy texts of the big 3 religions, every conceivable aggression from theft to rape to genocide is sanctioned.

I don’t believe in objective ethics or ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and nature shows us that anything is permissible.

I don’t believe in divine justice or karma, there are plenty of people who have done wicked things who prosper and I think that it is people who bring justice to others in the form of retribution.

I consider myself a moral nihilist which means to me that people can come together and define acceptable norms of behavior and establish punishments, if any, for said behavior and not have to base it on some objective principle outside of the groups will to follow those norms.

I adhere to the harm principle, to mutually beneficial relationships, and to several other concepts that I think would maximize the well-being of all parties involved. I do this because I choose to.

Sex-

This really isn’t a big concern for me. You can order your sexual and personal relationships however you want to.

Personally, I don’t see marriage as legitimate as a religious sacrament or a state license. I do believe that if two or more people desire to spend their lives together or some period of time exclusively or openly, they can decide to do that without anyone having to OK it. If you derive some strategic benefit form marrying, do it.

When it comes to abortion what you do with your kids or your body is not my problem. In the parlance of our times this is viewed as pro-choice. I am also pro-prostitution.

I don’t buy into ‘traditional family values’ whatever those are.

On DeFOOing- I think it is foolish to abandon people who may have cared for you, nurtured you, and given you capital in the past and who might give you capital and support in the future just because they sent you to public school (under the gun) or sent you to church (out of stupidity, or a misguided attempt to give you morals). If your family abused you in real terms, physical, verbally, or sexually, then it would make sense to move on. If not, it might make sense to keep some kind of ties to the only people who care if you are breathing.

War-

It should be obvious at this point that all of the wars the US is involved in are disastrous. I mean not even from a moral standpoint, where one needs only to point to the hundreds of thousands of innocent people killed (as if the Gov. cares), but just a tactical and administrative standpoint it has been a cluster fuck from the very beginning. In fact, the very people who ordered these wars admit it was a disaster, poorly planned, and extremely expensive. I am not a statist, but if I were given a choice between war and social programs I would choose social programs any day.

I support the use of force in self-defense and when there is no other alternative to achieve a desired end. I would support a militia but mostly for social, fitness, and recreational purposes. I don’t think armed struggle has any places in a serious strategy unless, of course, tomorrow all guns are confiscated and people are thrown into concentration camps or some shit.

In three words, I believe that any group worth joining should enrich, train, and enlighten the members. Again if any of these ideas ring true to you, Join the forum.

Thank you for the read and your time and next Wednesday I might have another release.