Getting Free

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about bartering; and it occurred to me the other day that I have been remiss in discussing it in a proper context. That’s what I’m going to attempt to do today.

TONIGHT, January twoth, 2008, and each night hereafter for about eight nights, there is a free series of interactive discussions on something called "The Journey." I cannot vouch for this one way or the other, and some parts of me say that it's mega "woo woo" while other parts of me say, Cool stuff! It's a form of personal inquiry and cleansing on an emotional and cellular level, maybe, if I get it right. I have a friend who has been studying it now for quite some time and is a certified practitioner in the method and it has done wonders for her.

Wendy has long been into frugality and voluntary simplicity, a way of living which is becoming more and more popular as the economy tanks. We see reflected in the blogs. Many people, who do not normally talk about frugality are now doing so. Two examples are Karen de Coster and J. D. Tuccille (Wendy has linked to them as well) I have also seen it in some tech blogs I read. In short, this is becoming a very popular topic.

However, as good as all the advice may be, there is something missing. Planning. It is fine to cut coupons, but we cannot since they are not offered in Costa Rica. It is also fine to turn your thermostat way down, but I do not have a thermostat. In fact, my heating and air conditioning costs are exactly zero, so this is not an area I can save in. Likewise, I can give good advice on cutting back your food costs, but it would involve living in a year-round temperate climate and growing 80% of your own food. Not applicable to many people.

I just came across a very interesting story, courtesy of Strike the Root, which relates to a recent anarchist questions post. It’s worth considering because it highlights the justification for regulations before the days of “It’s for the children!” became the rallying cry—and it highlights the danger of relying on tradition or religion as a means of getting some relief from gov’s depredations.

A friend sent me the link to this and I found it appalling. Of course, today, there's a plethora of such stuff to admire in our world, but this particular article is one which I think the denizens of Sunni's Gulch might find up their alley, or down their back road, or something.

It's about a SWAT team making a raid on a family in a small town in Ohio for having the temerity to operate a food co-op. Enjoy!

See HERE

We seem to have finished the "Ask an Anarchist" discussion, so I thought I'd propose another question. I've been reading "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis, and he posed a very interesting question.

Every civilization and every religion in recorded history has, as most or at least some of their basic foundation, the call to non-aggression. The Golden rule, the live and let live that we as freedom lovers base our lives on, has been an integral part of human society for as long as anyone can determine.

Wow; it really has been a long time since Jorge posed his “Ask an Anarchist” questions! Again, I apologize for not responding ... but looking at them again, I can see why I didn’t: they’re very challenging.

A ramble from early October mentioned in passing the FDA guidelines for melamine in foods. Surprise, surprise—they’ve tweaked them again!

Despite all my whining and complaining here, I do have much to be thankful for. There are now eleven of you regular readers, and you along with the conspirators and others grace this place with your contributions to the conversation. Whenever I start feeling overly sorry for myself, either a snolf comes along and cuddles me or a friend drops a note in my inbox, reminding me that I am not bereft of companionship, nor understanding. Yet, as thankful as I am for the wonderful things in my life, this year I would like to set some intentions ... goals that I plan to be thankful for achieving a year or so from now.

One of the most common accusations of hypocrisy leveled at anarchists is that many of us use public roads, which are financed by taxbux. It is very difficult to lead any sort of typical life these days without doing so, of course—but leave it to the state to provide some motivation for changing that.

I feel an urge to clarify something. It’s probably superfluous after this ramble, but given the response around the web to my comment yesterday, made in an old thread, I want to be as clear as I can be.

Author's note: This piece is the original form of my contributing chapter to the book National Identification Systems: Essays in Opposition, but it was deemed a bit too “wild”. I offer it in its original state because some of the points are more powerfully made here than in the version published in the book. The book is available at Amazon.