Voluntaryists have been calling for the defunding of the police for decades now. This is because we understand that incentives matter. The police will do what you pay them to do. When the State uses government power to incentive the militarization of the police then that is what we will get- police who who see their cities as battlefields and everyone in them as a threat to beaten or killed. If you want to change this you have to change not only the relationship of the police to the government, you have to sever it altogether.
Author: William H. Douglas
How We Win: Part 1- The Protests
As people blanch at the ongoing riots and the breakdown of society that is the final outcome of the actions of the government, many are asking hard questions about the future. They want to know where we go from here and how we get there. In the “How We Win” series of articles, starting with this one, we will look at the immediate and long term tactics that will not only help the protests in the streets bring about change but will also help create the better tomorrow for all people that we all long for.
The US Government Has Declared War On Us
In response to the challenge that mass protests against police violence all across the nation pose to the position and influence of those in power, the governments of the cities, states, and nation itself have declared war against the people of the USA. Million of people are being placed under house arrests as if they were criminals, the military is being sent in to occupy various American cities, and the US President is threatening to us the US Army to forcibly invade and occupy American cities directly. In response to these acts of war against themselves, how should the people respond? What is the best way forward? Here we explore just those issues.
The Most Terrible Form of Idolatry is The Government
In 1854, William Lloyd Garrison stood up in the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City and delivered one of the most powerful anti-slavery speeches ever given. The value of this speech goes beyond its historical setting though. In this speech Garrison lays down the basic cause of liberty for all men and outlines exactly why any government that oppresses human liberty stands condemned and should be disobeyed. The principles herein are universal, especially for those seeking peace, liberty, and equality today. In a world riven by racist and nationalist violence -as is currently happening in America right now- Garrison’s words and his remedies especially apply more than ever:
“Show me the government which can be maintained only by destroying the rights of a portion of the people, and you will indicate the duty of openly revolting against it.”
The Government’s Unending War Against Society
Instead of focusing on the riots themselves I want to talk about the “intolerable conditions that exist in our society” that have given rise to them, that make people feel that the only way they can have their voice heard is by application of the torch and the rod to break, burn, and destroy. I want to talk about the State, how it has corrupted everything, and how to truly change it.
George Floyd’s Death Reveals The Nature of the State
The murder of George Floyd has set American society on fire once more with the injustice of the system. George’s murder, and the many others like him, reveal the brutal nature not only of policing but of the government itself. Here we explore the savage nature of the State and what can be done to change it.
Was Joseph Smith A Pedophile?
Anti-Mormons like to hurl the accusation that Joseph Smith was a pedophile at members as a way to attack their faith. The facts of history say otherwise though.
The Most Revolutionary Text In American History
In September 1838, William Lloyd Garrison published the most revolutionary text in American history. Yes, most revolutionary, even more so than the Declaration of Independence.
All Killing is Forbidden by the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The voice of the Lord to the Saints today is loud and sharply clear: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it. (D&C 59:6) Notice the Lord does not say “murder,””shed innocent blood,” nor give any other exemption. Nor are there any problems with translations to cause debates about the meaning of the words in question. God has forbidden the Saints to kill for any reason.
American Unemployment Increases to 33 Million. What’s Next?
The horrifying trend towards economic collapse caused by state mandated lockdowns continues and the very real threat of mass starvation looms ever closer, and not just for the poorest countries in the world. With estimates suggesting unemployment may rise as high as 34.6% in April we are looking at crippling rates of unemployment never seen before in American, perhaps even world, history. This is worse than the Great Depression, when unemployment rates topped out at 24.6%. The question is where do we go form here?