Mutualist journal club

Bypassing the big guys to get broadband - The Washington Post

2011-03-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Bypassing the big guys to get broadband - The Washington Post

This article describes a small wireless ISP system in rural Virginia. It's commercial, more expensive than major networks, and eventually taps into the traditional Internet backbone, but it does indicate that small-scale ISPs are possible. Who knows how well this would work in a more densely populated area...but it does suggest that we have an alternative to the big telecom companies, whether in the form of small local businesses or consumer cooperatives.

Technology: Print me a Stradivarius | The Economist

2011-02-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

The Economist discusses "3D printing" -- mainly focusing on the short term impact of this technology (i.e. what will drive its development). Of interest, they mention how this system may cause intellectual property to become even more important.

Technology: Print me a Stradivarius | The Economist

Copyright enforcement without lawyers (Cooks Source Magazine and Apple Pies)

2010-11-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

Slashdot Your Rights Online Story | Cook's Magazine Claims Web Is Public Domain

The above Slashdot discussion provides an overview of an interesting strategy for enforcing copyright. This dovetails with Kevin Carson's writings about open-mouth sabatoge, and my own musings about a world without (as many) lawyers. It is interesting because it provides some inkling of how some form of copyright may be enforced by social norms rather than legal sanction. However, there is always the question of what role formal law plays in reinforcing social norms and facilitating coordinated enforcement. The gist of the story is this:

Several years ago, Monica Gaudio wrote an article about the evolution of apple pie, which was published online
Recently, Cooks Source Magazine republished the article with attribution, but without notifying Gaudio.
When Gaudio learned of this, she asked for a public apology and a $130 dollar donation to a school.
The editor responded with a snippy email, essentially telling Gaudio to "shove it".
Following this, Gaudio's supporters (and supporters of copyright) swarmed the online sites for Cooks Source, and petitioned the advertisers to cease advertising.

I'm not sure if this dispute has been resolved.

The Reasoning Behind Changing Daylight-Saving : NPR

2010-10-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

The Reasoning Behind Changing Daylight-Saving : NPR

Just in time for Halloween, I came across an old story discussing the corporate lobbying involved in Daylight Savings Time legislation. Turns out that the candy companies have finally gotten their wish of a longer Halloween.

Gangs of women in rural India fight abuse with bamboo sticks - Boing Boing

2010-10-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Gangs of women in rural India fight abuse with bamboo sticks - Boing Boing

An example of grass-roots direct action to address problems that the state claims as its own jurisdiction.

Economic contract theory tests models of mutualism — PNAS

2010-09-15T16:37:00.001-07:00

Economic contract theory tests models of mutualism — PNAS

This is just some evolutionary/ecological modeling of how mutalism arises in nature. I found it interesting because it contrasts "forced" cooperation against "voluntary" cooperation, and they decided that voluntary cooperation was more likely to emerge (among organisms incapable of planning). In this situation, "forced" means that one cooperator would make its own cooperation dependent upon the behavior of the other participant, whereas "voluntary" means that each participant gives freely and benefits from the increased growth/power of the other.

ACTA Text Leaks; US Caves On ISPs, Seeks Super-DMCA

2010-09-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Slashdot Your Rights Online Story | ACTA Text Leaks; US Caves On ISPs, Seeks Super-DMCA

WikiLeaks Calls For Assange To Step Down

2010-09-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Slashdot News Story | WikiLeaks Calls For Assange To Step Down

A Sweedish prosecutor has re-opened the rape case against Assange. Several people inside of Wikileaks are insisting that Assange resign his position until he is cleared of these charges. They deny Assange's assertion that the accusations are obviously meant to discredit him becauso of his role in Wikileaks.

M2Z's Free, Wireless Broadband Killed In Advance

2010-09-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Slashdot Mobile Story | M2Z's Free, Wireless Broadband Killed In Advance

M2Z's proposal for free (but slow) nationwide broadband was nixed by the FCC. The Slashdot crowd speculates about an ISP cartel being involved.

Righthaven's Brand of Copyright Trolling | Electronic Frontier Foundation

2010-09-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

Righthaven's Brand of Copyright Trolling | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Righthaven is just the latest group of lawyers to try to turn copyright litigation into a business model. What these lawyers have in common is that they seek to take advantage of copyright's draconian damages in order to bully Internet users into forking over money.

Pay Up :: News :: Article :: Philadelphia City Paper

2010-08-23T17:20:00.001-07:00

Pay Up :: News :: Article :: Philadelphia City Paper

Philly is requiring Bloggers to pay a $300 business registration fee if they have any revenues as a result of their blogging (even if the revenues are reported for the city income tax, and are less than $300). Some liberals and civil libertarians gripe about this as a restriction on the freedom of speech. I think that argument is half baked, but it is clearly a barrier to entry to the writing business, and it prevents writers from exploring different business models (which may or may not generate substantial income).

"No Pago" Confronts Microfinance in Nicaragua | North American Congress on Latin America

2010-08-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

"No Pago" Confronts Microfinance in Nicaragua | North American Congress on Latin America

I was skimming through Kiva's loans, and saw a notice about Nicaragua's "I won't pay" movement. As described in the above article, many poor people have taken micro-finance (MF) loans that they are unable to repay. They have attacked MF offices and won a "repayment moratorium" in the legislature.

It seems that the basic problem -- and the spark that set off the movement -- is that in Nicaragua, people get arrested for failure to repay their loans. The above article linked to another, with this description of the situation:

In late June, Pro Credit arrested six people with overdue debts in Jalapa. Other regulated financing entities did the same and through legal collection rulings started expropriating the debtors’ loan collateral, often houses and land. This action is required of financing agencies regulated by the Banking Law: if they have an arrears portfolio, they have to do something about it. The law states that a collector has to visit the person with the overdue debt within seven days and then get a judge to execute a sentence within 72 hours. Failure to do so results in a fine by the Superintendence of Banks.

Since these protesters are being faced with arrest (I don't how long it takes to release them), I think that their disruption and vandalism may be justified.

Anyway, the issue of forcible debt collection is something that I rarely see addressed by libertarians. If anything, libertarians seem to take the conservative position of wanting to make bankruptcy harder. I am rather liberal regarding bankruptcy, though I think we should eliminate all of that complicated litigation and place strict limits on how debts may be collected by force.

Since the creditor voluntarily places his wealth at risk, he has no inherent right to use force to recover it. Repayment should me mainly enforced by a reputation system. I am opposed to involuntary wage garnishments by creditors, which amounts to a slavery contract. I am opposed to involuntary bankruptcy. Confiscation of personal property should be limited to property that was explicitly granted as collateral (in which case, the debtor effectively sold it). Confiscation of corporate property is fine, since it is already detached from the owner.

Raids are increasing on farms and private food-supply clubs—here are 5 tips for surviving one | Grist

2010-07-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Raids are increasing on farms and private food-supply clubs—here are 5 tips for surviving one | Grist

Even as Oakland California prepares for large-scale marijuana cultivation, other farms in California -- producing traditional foods -- are facing increased raids for operating without a license or refusing to pasteurize their product. Of course, this has the effect of preventing market fragmentation, and imposes barriers to entry on small scale producers.

Businesses leery of Pittsburgh's parking plan - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

2010-07-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

Businesses leery of Pittsburgh's parking plan - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Apparently, the government of Pittsburgh is thinking about privatizing the water and parking authorities. At the moment I see no indication that the plans include any mechanism for introducing competition into these markets -- so the city will be selling off both the infrastructure and the monopoly market.

It sounds like some third-world kleptocracy.

Diaspora -- a mutualized facebook?

2010-06-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

join diaspora - blog

At the beginning of the summer, some college students declared that they were going to produce a free, decentralized (i.e. federated) application to compete with Facebook. They requested donations through Kickstarter, and got everything that they wanted almost instantly. There is apparently a lot of interest in a project like this.

In the end, I hope that projects like this, Google Wave, OneSocialWeb, and AppleSeed will be able to convert modern social networking systems into a decentralized, user-controlled system similar to email but much more powerful (at least, email is self-controlled by anyone who controls a server and domain name).

I think that this is one of the most exciting examples of the mutualist ethic (as I understand it) in the society at large. Communication is fundamental to everything that we do, and a flexible user-controlled instant communication system could provide the foundation for other mutualist reforms, such as decentralised currency systems like BitCoin or RipplePay.

Bitcoin - decentralized monetary system

2010-06-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Bitcoin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is another decentralized monetary system. It's like Ripplepay in a way, but it seems more sophisticated technically and it has a different basis for value, which I don't quite understand (just reading the Wikipedia article). I see why the currency units are scarce, but not why they are valuable outside of an as-yet unrealized role as money.

Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto

2010-06-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto is now available in hard copy format. The eBook version is here.

Marginal Revolution: Getting tough with Germany?

2010-06-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Marginal Revolution: Getting tough with Germany?

Cowen responds to Krugman's calls to get tough with Germany (and China). Aside from the technical points that Cowen covers, this illustrates how the instabilities of our current economy may lead (is leading) to a global economic system to allocate supply and demand among nations. It sounds like Marx's description of the drive for empire.

FWIW, I wrote a little rant on it.

Protecting Companies That Mix Profitability, Values : NPR

2010-03-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Protecting Companies That Mix Profitability, Values : NPR

Many anti-corporate activists have asserted that "corporations have no souls, no values", and that all they care about is money. I never got a good explanation for this, those anti-corporate activists viewing it as self evident (even though the state is exempt form this rule, apparently). My take was that corporations exist to do whatever their owners and administrators want them to do.

Like everyone, they only have to seek money to the extent that they need it to survive, or otherwise accomplish what they want.

Anyway, this news report discusses the laws that essentially require corporations to place money over all other values.

I think it also illustrates how corporations are not a natural extension of common-law property rights, instead being a class of institutions legislated into existence to advance the interests of particular interest groups.

Slashdot Developers Story | Independent Programmers' No-Win Scenario

2010-02-25T18:35:00.001-08:00

Slashdot Developers Story | Independent Programmers' No-Win Scenario

Discussion of the costs and benefits (and legal hassles) of self employment. Some say that the deck is stacked against independent workers, others say it's no big deal.

How To Start An Ignite Event | Ignite Show Video

2010-02-25T18:34:00.001-08:00

How To Start An Ignite Event | Ignite Show Video

An interesting sort of grass-roots event. It's focused on techies, but might be applicable to activists. Get a group of speakers -- each with a 20 slide slideshow (powerpoint), each slide being on a 20 second timer. Get an audience and have a ball.

At C4SS--The Digital Copying Glass is Half Full

2010-02-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

The Digital Copying Glass is Half Full

Chatroulette Tallies Grins, Frowns for Obama | The Atlantic Wire

2010-02-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

Chatroulette Tallies Grins, Frowns for Obama | The Atlantic Wire

I'm looking for new tools for grass-roots organizing and outreach. I think Google's Wave looks promising.

This chat-roulette looks intriguing too. It establishes video-chat with random strangers. The above article examines its usefulness as a polling platform. Another article says that most people are looking for interesting conversation. Well, anarchists are nothing if not interesting.

This could be a good way for activists to spread their message, and get feedback from people who wouldn't normally find their blogs.

It may also provide good practice in keeping your cool during a heated conversation.

Two views on health insurance co-ops | Freedom Democrats

2009-08-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Two views on health insurance co-ops | Freedom Democrats

"

I don't have any opinion about the health insurance co-op legislation that some people are talking about, but given the role of co-ops in left-libertarian economic models, it's probably worth looking into. Here are two views:

A DKos, slinkerwink seems offended that Blue Cross Blue Shield Wants To Become A "Co-Op!". His main objection seems to be that non-profits still give their top execs immense salaries (same is true for hospitals and universities).
At the Daily Dish (and Reason), Peter Sunderman ponders Those Mysterious Co-ops, and gives some history of health co-ops in the USA.

The scope -- and dangers -- of GE's control of NBC and MSNBC - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

2009-08-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

The scope -- and dangers -- of GE's control of NBC and MSNBC - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

Revival of distributed insurance?

2009-06-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

The Economist has an article about how the Lloyd's of London insurance market compares against the integrated insurance companies. The article even discusses how state intervention supports the megaliths at the expense of smaller rivals. Perhaps the the main downside of distributed systems is that their inherent flexibility means that they will never be "too big to fail" and will never attract bailouts from the state.

Has the Green Revolution run its course?

2009-04-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Kevin recently wrote about the problems with the Green Revolution.

Here's some new reports from NPR (audio, transcripts, and pictures):

India’s Farming ‘Revolution’ Heading For Collapse

‘Green Revolution’ Trapping India’s Farmers In Debt

WorldBlu | Designing Democratic Organizations

2008-12-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

WorldBlu | Designing Democratic Organizations

A list of "most democratic businesses". Could be a useful resource.

tip to the DreamHost blog, where they discuss what it is about their organization that may have gotten them on the list.

PsyBlog: 7 Reasons Leaders Fail

2008-12-06T11:49:00.001-08:00

PsyBlog: 7 Reasons Leaders Fail: This list sounds like it was drawn straight from the Mutualist blog, but it comes from a modern psychology book. One interesting point is that the psychology of "followship" (the vast majority of our society) has hardly been studied, while "leadership" has gotten tons of attention.

Also of interest from the same blog: Malcolm Gladwell: Success Comes from Social Advantages

Book review; the Black Swan by Taleb

2008-10-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

I've written a review of The Black Swan, published at Swords Crossed (and elsewhere). This book is a narrative, rather than a rigorous argument, so I don't think there is anything particularly useful for advancing mutualist theory. However, I was impressed by the extent that the author inserted libertarian/anarchist sentiments into a best-seller.

This could end up getting a lot of people interested in libertarianism (in particular Hayek gets a lot of credit).

Primitive accumulation in action

2008-10-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

Land confiscation in Malaysia for cash-crop plantations:

Eviction of 10,000 residents ‘put on hold’

MIRI: The 10,000 residents who have been evicted from their centruty-old villages in northern Sarawak have been given a reprieve for Hari Raya.

The Sept 29 deadline for the residents of the 13 Kedayan-Malay villages in Bekenu district came but there were no bulldozers in sight to demolish their homes.

They had been asked to move out of the land that had been leased out to a Miri property developer for an oil-palm plantation and had sought the help of Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang.

Marginal Revolution: What really caused the financial crisis?

2008-09-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Marginal Revolution: What really caused the financial crisis?:

Tyler Cowen recommends this paper by Kashyap, Rajan, and Stein discussing the cause of the current banking crisis, focusing on agency problems within banks and how that encourages greater leverage -- and how the two together create a damn big mess for everyone.

PATHWAYS: A magazine on poverty, inequality, and social policy

2008-01-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted to FreedomDemocrats.

A prominent team of economists is publishing a new magazine devoted to issues of income distribution. In the first issue of Pathways Magazine: A Magazine on Poverty, Inequality, and Social Policy you'll find anti-poverty policy proposals by John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hilary Clinton. The editorial board includes Kenneth Arrow (of Arrow's impossibility theorem), and Charles Murray.

Murray contributed an article (the only one I read), in which he rehashes some of his ideas regarding poverty, and clinches the prize of "the most sophisticated of vulgar libertarians". He makes a strong argument that the main factor contributing to poverty in America is social breakdown, including fatherless children--but he doesn't provide any insight as to what anyone can do about this social breakdown. Furthermore, having found an a major factor influencing poverty, he seems to be dismissive of any further examination of other factors --regardless of whether they influence poverty directly or reduce the social breakdown that he focuses on.

He also dedicates some space to the issue of why highly-paid workers earn so much more than the average salary. He attributes this to the increasing value of cognitive skills (technology development and large-organization management) and appealing to an increasing tournament effect among entertainers. He treats these phenomena as historical inevitabilities; without a word, he dismisses the possibility that these market structures are the result of semi-arbitrary property laws, taxes and subsidies, or even our cultural values--all of which we can change if we dislike the consequences.

Tip to Mirror on America.

DIY at the next level?: TechShop, Construction Junction

2008-01-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

TechShop: Open-Access Public Workshop
TechShop is like a health club, but with machine tools rather than treadmills. Is this just a hobby for the middle class, or might it provide a new economic outlet for workers seeking to control their produce?

Construction Junction recycles building materials, generally recovered from demolished buildings. It's generally seen as an environmentally conscious and cheap way of getting stuff. Can institutions like this make local economies more robust to economic downturns--reusing their local scrap rather than needing to import new parts? Can a smart, labor-intensive supply site compete with standardized, automated distribution networks?

Glenn Greenwald: Oligarchical Decay

2008-01-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

Oligarchical decay

Glenn Greenwald writes:

And thus we have a perfect oligarchical system in which, literally, our most powerful and well-connected elite are free to break the law with impunity, exempt from any consequences. While exempting themselves, these same figures impose increasingly Draconian "law and order" solutions on the masses to ensure that even small infractions of the law prompt vigorous prosecution and inflexible, lengthy prison terms.

Book: Socialism After Hayek

2007-11-28T20:33:00.000-08:00

Review from: Society for the Development of Austrian Economics Home Page

Ted Burczak, Denison University
Socialism After Hayek
University of Michigan Press 2006

Socialism After Hayek reignites the socialist calculation debate by offering perhaps the first attempt to articulate a form of socialism that gives significant scope to market processes and that understands correctly and seriously engages Hayek’s work on socialist calculation and the contributions of more recent Austrian economists. The first three chapters offers a very sympathetic reading of Hayek and Austrian economics as a legitimate methodological and theoretical alternative to the neoclassical mainstream. In later chapters, he works from inside Hayek’s system to offer criticisms of his work on the evolution of law and its relationship to the market that open up space for a form of socialism that does not undermine the fundamental role of the market as a discovery and coordination process for dispersed and tacit knowledge. Specifically, Burczak argues that workers’ self-management could and should replace the capitalist wage contract and that a large one-time grant from government would enable a wider range of people to participate meaningfully in the market process. Firms and consumers would still coordinate through market processes, however markets would be bounded by these two major changes. For its creative and deeply scholarly approach to Hayek and Austrian economics as well as offering the most significant response to the Austrian critique of socialism in at least a generation, Ted Burczak’s Socialism after Hayek is awarded the 2007 Smith Center Prize for Best Book in Austrian Economics.

Insight Center - Becoming the Boss - Portfolio.com

2007-10-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

This was interesting, since it basically tells "bosses" that they will shoot themselves in the foot if they rely too much on formal hierarchy. Effectively, it advises them to lead like an anarchist (to some extent).

It's telling how much this contrasts with George W. Bush's management style--no wonder he was a failure in the business world.

Insight Center - Becoming the Boss - Portfolio.com

Her sexy T-shirt says "Kitty Not Happy" -- is that OK at work? | Salon Life

2007-06-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Cary Tennis (Salon.com) ponders the Authoritarian nature of the workplace:

Her sexy T-shirt says "Kitty Not Happy" -- is that OK at work? | Salon Life

How the World Works: One big union

2007-05-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

Andrew Leonard's How the World Works (Salon.com) tackles the issues developing in the global economy. He reports on American unions taking a "new" tactic in developing international solidarity. He even invokes the Wobblies.

Why Law School Costs So Much - Mises Institute

2007-05-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Why Law School Costs So Much - Mises Institute

This is an somewhat old article (2002), but still relevant, as there has not been a radical restructuring of our legal system in the past few years. Even as this has overtones of Dean Baker's "Conservative Nanny State", and Kevin Carson's focus on "barriers to entry", the author is clearly a right-libertarian, and fails to see how this system limits access to legal advice, and consequently establishes a system of exploitation, wherein the legal system favors the wealthy (who can afford lawyers) over the poor (who are isolated from lawyers).

UK Ministry of Defense considers future conflicts

2007-04-12T07:58:00.001-07:00

This is a summary of a UK MoD report on the nature of future conflicts. Two considerations caught my attention: the revival of "marxist" movements, and "inter-communal" conflicts.

For the "marxist" section, I interpret this as a re-invigorated movement for economic liberation (our stuff), or perhaps a more formal economic equality (more statist stuff).

Among the "Pressures leading to social unrest", they discuss national identity groups that cross state borders, and the fear that these groups will maintain ancient conflicts even in this new environment. I think that it is important that we find a way to disperse these group-identity based conflicts.

Anyway, read it for yourself: Revolution, flashmobs, and brain chips. A grim vision of the future | Science | Guardian Unlimited

Much ado about tortillas and ethanol

2007-04-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Some perspective on the relationship of biofuels and high tortilla prices. The thesis: the problem isn't the market, it's that regular people (and even entire countries) have lost control of their own economic situations.

How the World Works - Salon.com

a Wikipedia of maps

2007-04-05T13:47:00.001-07:00

Collaborative websites authored by "everyman" allow regular people to quickly share information with the world. Sites like Wikipedia and Daily Kos have contributed to the democratization of information in the recent past.

Now this paradigm is being applied to a new format: maps. Can activists take advantage of this?

Here are two services:

Google Maps: Google Wants You to Become a Cartographer
MapHub: MapHub: Collaborative Online Maps

Here are some ideas for how we can use these in our activism:

Mark important historical sites (such as Haymarket Square)
Increase visibility of radical/alternative institutions (such as the local radical book store, IWW office, or co-op)
Plan routes for events (parades, etc)

Any other ideas?

AlterNet: WorkPlace: American Socialism for the Already Rich

2007-03-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

AlterNet: WorkPlace: American Socialism for the Already Rich

The title says it all.

Full Belly Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2007-03-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Not a news story, but a great example of how to increase economic independence for people who otherwise would have none: Full Belly Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Full Belly Project Ltd is a non-profit organization based out of Wilmington, North Carolina, which designs labor-saving devices to improve the lives of people in developing countries. At present one of their primary objectives is to increase the cost effectiveness of peanut agriculture as a means of sustainable development in those countries, through the development of affordable appropriate technology which they place in the public domain.

Rational/Contemporary � Americans growing more socially isolated

2007-03-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

Rational/Contemporary � Americans growing more socially isolated

Put this in the column of confirmed suspicions. This study in the American Sociological Review comes via the Washington Post, via Walter Kirn’s excellent new novel “The Unbinding”. (Apologies that this is old news for some, the study came out in June, 2006.) Repeating a procedure carried out in 1985, a large-scale face-to-face survey found that people have fewer close social ties now than 20 years ago. We’re talking about friends or kin who you can confide in, share personal issues.

This blog just has some ruminations...but it also has all the relevant links (given above).

Books: "Bakunin" by Mark Leier

2007-03-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in 19th century radicalism, see my review of "Bakunin" by Mark Leier.

The Constitution as Libertarian Myth | Freedom Democrats

2007-02-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

Logan Ferree wrote an excellent critique of the rhetorical role of the Constitution in libertarian discourse. The title says it all: The Constitution as Libertarian Myth

Debatepedia--Wikipedia for Debates

2007-02-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

I want to bring your attention to Debatepedia--basically a Wikipedia designed to catalog various debates.

I expect that this site will attract all types of readers and contributors--just as Wikipedia does. That means that content added to this site will be read by partisans and ideologues of all types, and also by regular Joes who just want a quick overview of an issue. You may want to contribute arguments as part of your outreach activities.

This seems to be aim to be a popular reference site, as opposed to rigorous debating wikis like Chains of Reason or Wikireason (apparently defunct). All contributions to Debatepedia should reflect points made by "third-party" authors. I hope that they are pretty liberal for deciding what counts for "third-party"...and that this rule only serves to make sure that all the arguments have been thought through and vetted by at least one person before being added to the Wiki.

Think of your favorite writers, and add their arguments to Debatepedia!

The National Initiative For Democracy

2007-02-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

Former Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel is campaigning for the The National Initiative For Democracy, which is basically an attempt to establish a national referendum system.

A cornerstone of this campaign is convincing the American people that representative government is deeply flawed. I think that this is a good opportunity for us to promote a broad discussion of the problems with representative government, as well as discussing organizational principles for a democratic society (such as a bottom-up federations).

I'll try to write on these topics at Freedom Democrats and Daily Kos.

Asia Sentinel - Righting Mao’s Wrongs

2007-02-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

Asia Sentinel - Righting Mao’s Wrongs

A interesting article about the struggle for freedom of speech in China today--putting the struggle in the historical context of the "hundred flowers campaign" of 50 years ago, which was meant to promote freedom of thought but was quickly suppressed (the "anti-rightist" campaign) when it expanded to include criticism of the Chinese state.

I sometimes feel that our movement is undermined by the absence (as far as I can tell) of anarchist/mutualist movements in other countries, such as China and Russia. However, for now those peoples are struggling for the most basic freedoms, so a movement for full freedom may be out of place.

Anyway, how can we spread our message to these countries. I've heard that the Chinese government is tolerant of writings that criticize the USA...even if they introduce concepts that implicitly condemn all governments. Too bad I don't know Chinese...

tip to How the World Works.

How the World Works - The Napster pirates of transgenic biotech

2007-02-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

How the World Works - The Napster pirates of transgenic biotech

The transgenic IP and regulatory system collapses in India--as farmers combat the de-skilling process and institute an anarchistic market system. As always, I recommend the entire HTWW blog --- lot's of stories of interest.

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: A Kirkland cafe with no prices

2007-02-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Is communism emerging "within the shell of the old system", in the form of Terra Bite coffee shop? How will Starbucks respond? How will the state respond?

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: A Kirkland cafe with no prices

How to speak Republican | Salon News

2007-01-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

How to speak Republican | Salon News: "Frank Luntz is a Republican word doctor who coaches conservatives to talk to Americans about 'personalizing' Social Security instead of 'privatizing' it. ...In a phone interview with Salon, Luntz discussed his dissatisfaction with the way the White House talks about the war in Iraq, his impressions of Barack Obama, and his beef with the progressive netroots."

I think that mutualists are pretty good at reaching out to all types of "regular folk"...at least on economic issues. Here's some more info on "speaking Republican"

SSRN-Transnational Labor Citizenship by Jennifer Gordon

2007-01-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

SSRN-Transnational Labor Citizenship by Jennifer Gordon

Over at Salon's "How the World Works", Andrew Leonard has a review of Jennifer Gordon's paper Transnational Labor Citizenship, which advocates for unions to drop their protectionist and anti-immigrant activities, instead focusing on organizing immigrant workers before they enter the U.S..

It's a good idea for a country where "pro-labor" has come to be more closely related with nationalism than internationalism.

The Next Hurrah: When the liar is a friend

2007-01-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

The Next Hurrah: When the liar is a friend

A great review of how (politicized) misinformation is spread through the Internet and Mass-media, and the effectiveness of attempts to combat it...based on a couple of case studies (one "right-wing" and one "left-wing") along with analyses of the motives behind the originators and spreaders of misinformation.

The challenge facing local food | Salon Life

2007-01-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

Another interesting article at Salon: How will the "local food" movement respond to mainstreaming?

The challenge facing local food | Salon Life

How the World Works - Salon.com

2007-01-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

Over at Salon.com, there's a great blog about globalization and economic development in poorer countries: How the World Works - Salon.com

This particular article focuses on "micro-manufacturing facilities", particularly those being developed by the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group.

US Army might break Goodyear strike - Financial Times - MSNBC.com

2006-12-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

US Army might break Goodyear strike - Financial Times - MSNBC.com

Interesting interplay of national security, domestic production, and labor-management-state relations.

NPR : American Airlines 'Insources' Maintenance Work

2006-12-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

NPR : American Airlines 'Insources' Maintenance Work (audio)

American was on the verge of bankruptcy, so the workers traded a chunk of their wages in return for an equal say in management. It seems to have worked...

"When I have my union meetings now--I've got 200 guys in there--instead of complaining about management, they sound like business people"

The 9/11 Truth Movement--Why do Americans believe the government conspired?

2006-12-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

The 9/11 Truth Movement's Dangers: Dishonest Government Leads To Cynical Theorists - the Nation via CBS News

A good article, assuming that the facts are straight. The author starts off by reporting on a poll that found that ONE THIRD of Americans believe that the Federal Government was involved in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and then ponders why Americans find the conspiracy theory so believable.

I don't quite buy this conspiracy theory, but it doesn't really matter to me since I already believed that the government was full of liars, thieves, and murders. The documentary movie TerrorStorm was designed to promote this conspiracy theory--I believe that TerrorStrom does a good job of setting up the issue by arguing that our government is capable of such acts (see Operation Ajax, for starters), but it's really not possible to draw a conclusion about the 9/11 attacks themselves due to a lack of information.

Before recently, I've only heard of this conspiracy theory through fringe websites and a single friend (who is intelligent, but very excitable). However, recently I've seen suggestions of conspiracy theory published in Salon.com (in a rabid hit-piece against Giuliani)

Sudan | Glittering towers in a war zone | Economist.com

2006-12-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

Sudan | Glittering towers in a war zone | Economist.com:

"AT THE confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile in Khartoum lies Africa's largest commercial construction site. Across 1,500 acres, at a place called Alsunut, Sudanese and Chinese workmen are working in shifts around the clock to build a new Dubai: a vast complex of gleaming offices, duplexes and golf courses that will turn Khartoum, it is hoped, into the commercial and financial hub of Islamist east Africa."

I previously thought of Sudan as just some desert country in East Africa with constant warfare between a tyrannical government and secessionist movements that are probably equally tyrannical (but closer to the people, at least). However, it seems that there's a lot of oil in Sudan, meaning that international capital has gotten involved. Foreign finance and engineers are preparing to extract the natural resource, while government thugs clear the land of the native population.

Warmonger rationale - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

2006-12-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Warmonger rationale - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

I was surprised to find this anti-state tirade in the local daily paper -- the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. In this opinion piece, a professor at a local college briefly views the ideas of a few libertarian theorists about the exploitative nature of the state, and how "war is the health of the state".

The Trip is the local "conservative" paper, owned by Richard Mellon Scaife to provide a conservative platform in the city. While some stupid, nasty conservative shit gets published here (Ann Coulter, for example), it also targets libertarians and is willing to publish some pretty radical stuff.

Scottish independence? No fear! Jimmy Reid Alasdair Gray Christopher Harvie - openDemocracy

2006-11-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Scottish independence? No fear! Jimmy Reid Alasdair Gray Christopher Harvie - openDemocracy

Seems like OpenDemocracy is on a secession kick. Anyway, the fragmentation of the UK seems to be a no brainer (if that's what the Scotts want). Scotland is a developed nation with a sense of fairness at least as strong as that of hte UK, it has a national identity that was suppressed by violence, and it would result in the fragmentation of one of the more powerful countries in the world, meaning that it decreases the overall risk of international imbalances of power.

The partition temptation: Iraq to Latin America Juan Gabriel Tokatlian - openDemocracy

2006-11-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

It looks like a number of Latin American countries are at risk of fragmentation, according to The partition temptation: Iraq to Latin America Juan Gabriel Tokatlian by Juan Gabriel Tokatlian at Open Democracy.

This is interesting, and I generally support independence movements in accordance with the ideas set forth by Murray Rothbard in National Liberation. With many anarchistic movements active in Latin American countries, it seems that the more fragmented the countries are, the more possibility that an especially good society will emerge ("laboratories of democracy", and that).

Of course there are conditions under which fragmentation would be against the interests of liberty--if it results in warfare, allows a small elite to dominate others in their secessionist region (such as the Confederate States of America), or weakens the society to the point where foreign powers can dominate it.

Something to think about...

Write your mini-manifesto (500 words)

2006-11-29T11:28:00.000-08:00

If you might be up for writing a 500 word manifesto, check out gapingvoid: change the world, 500 words at a time

Review blogs

2006-11-26T04:21:00.000-08:00

Introducing a new type of blogging--the blog review: Egypt Blog Review

This site is run by a journalist, and does exactly what it says--reviews blogs about Egypt. I suspect that the purpose is to create a greater sense of community among these bloggers and their readers (similar to the Mutual Journal Club or a the Blogosphere of the Libertarian Left). However, it also separates the wheat from the chafe, which can make the material more accessible to "outsiders" who would get bored or turned off by some of the low-quality content that exists on any blog.

One more advancement in the bottom-up organization of information.

Center for a Stateless Society

2006-11-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

Some anarchists are attempting to follow the "think tank" publicity model. Good luck to them.

Center for a Stateless Society

Panama Canal expansion put to a vote - MarketWatch

2006-10-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

Panama Canal expansion put to a vote - MarketWatch

The Panama canal could serve as an ideal case study of the capitalist nature of transportation subsidies -- not only did it's construction involve massive financial subsidies from the U.S.A. (I presume), but it also included political intervention in Latin America.

The current expansion plans seem to rest on the assumption that user's fees would be sufficient to fund the capital improvements. I have no idea whether this is a reasonable expectation, but in the end this is being treated as a political decision (involving the general population) rather than a business decision from the people who have the most knowledge and the most to gain.

Another article from Bloomberg

The myth of progressive war Martin Shaw - openDemocracy

2006-10-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

The myth of progressive war Martin Shaw - openDemocracy

This is part of a dialogue on the Open Democracy website regarding the role of war in human progress. It references "primitive accumulation" so I thought it would be of interest as a marker of what others are saying about this process.

"I make $1.45 a week and I love it" | Salon Technology

2006-07-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

"I make $1.45 a week and I love it" | Salon Technology

Salon reports on Amazon's Mechanical Turk, a web-based system where a person can hire another to do mind-numbing, repetitive, digital jobs for just pennies. Many of the "workers" take these jobs on their down time, either when they are unable to perform "real" work or as a simple distraction, similar to online puzzle games. From this perspective, this innovation has a great potential to allow people to perform productive activities in a very flexible environment, without the "negative utility" generally associated with work.

However, some are concerned that the value of the work is much greater than the compensation that the workers recieve. Perhaps this illustrates the futility of labor laws, and the need for workers to have ownership over their work systems, or maybe not...

It's an interesting read, as are the other articles that are mentioned in the post-script.

Your world: straight to the NSA

2006-05-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

This graphic is great at emphasizing the close connection between the economic elite (corporations/wealthy) and the political elite (politicians).

So many libertarians just don't understand it: Governments and corporations are ONE AND THE SAME!

US allows Vietnam to join WTO

2006-05-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

I saw the headline, and I knew what to look for:

U.S. agrees to deal for Vietnam to join WTO

What would the US demand from some small developing country that delt the American empire one of its major defeats? Maybe the US government would just demand conditions that are reasonable and reciprocal (lower barriers to trade in goods), or maybe the US would demand concessions that are really one-sided, such as the right of the rich country to buy up the poor country.

Let's see:

The pact lowers Hanoi's tariffs on U.S. industrial and farm products and removes other barriers that block U.S. companies in sectors such as telecommunications, retailing, banking, insurance and energy from doing business in Vietnam, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said.

So the US demanded that Vietnam allowed US companies to set up shop in Vietnam, even taking control of fundamental infrastructure of the country (energy, finance, and communications).

Do typical Americans get anything out of this? I doubt it. It's not like we'll be working in those shops. It may increase the ranks of middle-managements at the companies that buy-up Vietnam, but that's about it. The US government will also get a share of the loot in the form of Corporate income tax and such. And of course, US investors will have one more profitable investment available to them, which is the real point of all this.

What does Vietnam stand to loose? Well, at one extreme, there's the complete shutdown of their energy, communications, and financial system if they have another political spat with the wealthy nations. In the more immediate scope, they may be afraid that the US telecommunications companies will aid the US government in spying on Vietnamese citizens.

Clearly Vietnam will benefit from the reduction of US trade barriers, but I can't help suspecting that there's something more to it. The Party leaders in Vietnam will probably cash in on whatever new business goes on in their country--whether through more power as government officials (higher tax revenues) or more power as "private" individuals, coming from bribes, or the ability to transform their political power into personal ownership of resources that are valuable to the Westerners.

Posting hiatus

2006-03-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hi MJC members,

For the next month or so, I won't be able to read much news or the publications that I've been monitoring, so I won't be posting here much.

I hope that other members will find interesting tidbits to report, but if there is not enough activity to keep your interest, please subscribe to the MJC's XML syndication (using an RSS feed-reader) so that you'll know when I resume posting.

-Adam

Environmental Economics: Ecological Economics blog

2006-03-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

Environmental Economics: Ecological Economics blog:

The Env-Econ blog introduces us to the Eco-Econ blog. Here's what they say:

"We just added the Ecological Economics blog to our ENV-blogroll....If you think we here are too mainstream, rubes for the capitalist elite, bought and paid for, then ecological economics is for you."

I read one post at Eco-Econ (on Sustainable Growth), and it seems that their perspective is to view the economic system as a part of the larger (and physically limited) ecological system of the earth, wehreas Env-Econ simply seeks ways assess the value of natural resources and find policies that allow us to extract the most benefit from those resources. There are ideological implications to the Eco-Econ viewpoint; first in my mind, it suggests that we can't grow our way out of poverty (my interpretation).

Marginal Revolution: Do we need occupational licensing?

2006-03-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

Marginal Revolution: Do we need occupational licensing?: (the entire post is below, for comments go to the MR site)
-=--------------------------
"Alan Krueger writes:

In a new book, 'Licensing Occupations: Ensuring Quality or Restricting Competition?' (Upjohn Institute, 2006), Morris M. Kleiner, an economist at the University of Minnesota, questions whether occupational licensing has gone too far. He provides much evidence that the balance of occupational licensing has shifted away from protecting consumers and toward limiting the supply of workers in various professions. A result is that services provided by licensed workers are more expensive than necessary and that quality is not noticeably affected.

Read more here. I can't yet find this listed on Amazon.com, any pointers? Here is a pdf of part of the book. Here is a home page for the book.

Marginal Revolution: Markets in Everything: Politicians

2006-03-01T04:42:00.000-08:00

More about that (blatant) scumbag Cunningham:

Marginal Revolution: Markets in Everything: Politicians: "What's most disturbing about this is how low the prices were, $50,000 for $1 million in contract value. Now let's remember Econ 101, what makes prices low? That's right, competition. So who was Cunningham competing with?"

Marginal Revolution: Behavioral economics at Harvard

2006-02-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

Marginal Revolution: Behavioral economics at Harvard

How humans deviate from the ideal of rationality, and how marketers try to take advantage of that irrationality.

Marginal Revolution: How does the fashion industry work without copyright?

2006-02-28T17:12:00.000-08:00

Marginal Revolution: How does the fashion industry work without copyright?

The title says it all. From an economist.

Boing Boing: Florida cops threaten people who ask for complaint forms

2006-02-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

Boing Boing: Florida cops threaten people who ask for complaint forms: "A CBS undercover reporting team went into 38 police stations in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in Florida, asking for a set of forms they could use to complain about inappropriate police behavior. In all but three of the stations, the police refused to give them forms. Some of the cops threatened them (on hidden camera, no less) -- one of them even touched his gun."

Thanks to Marginal Revolution for the pointer.

Epidemiologists Need to Shatter the Myth of a Risk-Free Life

2006-02-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Epidemiologists Need to Shatter the Myth of a Risk-Free Life

This essay was originally published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, back in 2003, but I just discovered it and I think that it does a good job addressing some misperceptions that lead humans to support government.

The gist of it, from the article:

The illusion that immunity can be created by changing your behavior (or spending money) sets us up for terror. Whoever sent anthrax through the mail in 2001 managed to kill a total of five people -- sad, but frankly no worse than many car wrecks. The anthrax scare touched off hysteria (and a multimillion-dollar industry in anthrax prevention) because it exposed the bitter truth that the risk-free life is illusory. If we try to cling to the illusion, we'll continue to be susceptible to health terrorism, a term that is more to the point than bioterrorism -- that is, we'll continue to be terrorized that our health is in imminent jeopardy.

How did Americans come to have such faith in the risk-free life? We epidemiologists have to bear some of the burden. We made three mistakes: We bought into the focus on personal behavior rather than social reform, we provided too much information, and we colluded with the moralism of risk reduction.

S.D. Abortion Bill Takes Aim at 'Roe'

2006-02-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

S.D. Abortion Bill Takes Aim at 'Roe'

South Dakota lawmakers yesterday approved the nation's most far-reaching ban on abortion, setting the stage for new legal challenges that its supporters say they hope lead to an overturning of Roe v. Wade .

The article speaks for itself. I think a complete reversal of Roe v. Wade is unlikely, but this is likely to be the first assault made as the SCOTUS becomes more conservative. If, by chance, this law is upheld, what is the appropriate response? I think the ABA opposed the prohibition of abortion back before Roe v. Wade, arguing that it created a society of scofflaws. Maybe this new wave of prohibition will do the same.

Marginal Revolution: Resale Bans in Japan

2006-02-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

Marginal Revolution: Resale Bans in Japan

I just learned from Marginal Revolution that Japan forces car-owners to have expensive maintenance done on a regular basis. While it may have something to do with maintaining air-quality in crowded Japan, the fact that consumers are forced to spend money like this makes me (and the folk at MR) think that this regulation is really about expanding the market for various special-interest groups. It seems that this system is being expanded to cover many electronics also. This system effectively bans the sale of used products.

Medical Freedom In Iowa | Freedom Democrats

2006-02-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

Medical Freedom In Iowa | Freedom Democrats

Logan Ferree at Freedom Democrats brings some attention to the current struggle in Iowa to reduce the monopoly of medical practitioners. Nothing exceptional; just news.

CNN.com - Parents, teachers have educational divide - Feb 10, 2006

2006-02-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

CNN.com - Parents, teachers have educational divide - Feb 10, 2006

Summary of a survey of parents and teachers asking them about the condition of schools; mildly interesting. One thing that stood out is that "the problem that ranked highest for parents and teachers was getting and keeping good teachers". I agree that this is a big problem for schools, but all the vested interests seem to do their damndest to drive away talented teachers: administration burdens them with regulations, a lack of resources, and students who don't want to be there. On the other side, teachers unions drive away most competent individuals by adamantly separating pay from performance and directing all benefits to senior teachers.

The Atlantic: "Capitalism: The Movie"

2006-02-09T06:52:00.001-08:00

Via Marginal Revolution

The Atlantic Monthly Online has an apparently insightful article called Capitalism: The Movie. Unfortunately, I'm not going to shell out $25 for a subscription right now so I can't read the whole thing.

The thesis seems to be this:

Yes, the system does work, says this culture, and there appears to be no alternative. But what a shame this is, it continues, because capitalism rewards our worst and most selfish instincts. "Greed is good" may stock the shelves, but is somewhat less than inspiring.

This is an interesting discussion for those of us who support free-markets, but oppose capitalism. What is it about "capitalism" that Americans have trouble with? Just like the evolution/creationism debate, people tend to conflate several issues when they discuss "capitalism". Do they really dislike markets and economic freedom, or do they dislike the "all or nothing" dynamics that result from the alienation of regular folk from the means of survival?

frontline: the persuaders: analysis | PBS

2006-02-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

frontline: the persuaders: analysis | PBS

Extensive coverage of the advertising industry from 2004. Good resource for anyone interested in the themes of Kevin Carson's recent post "The Media and Matrix Reality"

Wikinews investigates Wikipedia usage by U.S. Senate staff members - Wikinews

2006-02-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

Wikinews investigates Wikipedia usage by U.S. Senate staff members - Wikinews

Wikinews reporters are claiming that Congressional staff has been modifying Wikipedia for their own propaganda purposes. It was only a matter of time until something like this happened: as Wikipedia becomes more influential, it will draw more attention from PR offices of all types. The big question is whether Wikipedia can remain open and democratic in the fact of the inevitable onslaught by the powers-that-be. Two factors make me hope that it can survive: first, the Wikipedia culture has a strong bias against deleting information unless it has been clearly proven to be wrong, meaning that once incriminating information makes it into Wikipedia it is likely to stay; otherwise, there may be enough competition among powerful groups (Repubs vs. Dems, Exxon vs. Shell, etc) that their activities will balance each other out.

Marginal Revolution: PDUFA

2006-02-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

Marginal Revolution: PDUFA: "PDUFA, the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, is a shining example of a Pareto optimal policy innovation. First passed in 1992 the act was essentially a deal between the drug manufacturers and the FDA that said we, the manufacturers, are willing to pay an extra tax for submitting new drug applications to the FDA so long as the tax is earmarked for hiring more FDA staff to accelerate new drug review. "

InformationWeek | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi Startup Gets Funding From Google, Skype | February 6, 2006

2006-02-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

InformationWeek | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi Startup Gets Funding From Google, Skype | February 6, 2006

A Spanish company called Fon has gotten some big corporations to support it in it's project to set up a sort-of peer-to-peer wireless internet system. On the up side, it seems like this project will encourage the development of a decentralized communication infrastructure. On the down side, it seems like these companies are trying to own the infrastructure.

This is probably not an original thought, but it seems like a lot of capitalists focus on the ownership of society itself, as opposed to the ownership of tools; this project seems to be based on the same premise. A lot of modern American businesses are based on control of culture (copyright), control over information sharing (file format monopolies), or control over productive institutions themselves without significant material property (software companies).

A smaller New Orleans - The Boston Globe

2006-02-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

Via Marginal Revolution

A smaller New Orleans - The Boston Globe

Edward L. Glaeser writes a criticism of the New Orleans redevelopment plan. He doesn't say it explicitly, but he makes it seem as though there's a whole lot of favoritism involved here.

Marginal Revolution: Why education is productive -- a parable of men and beasts

2006-02-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

There is a connection between a person's level of formal education, and that person's income. Why? Do we even know why we go to school?

Anyway, below are three options. Tyler Cowen discusses two of them in Marginal Revolution: Why education is productive -- a parable of men and beasts

1) Training (technical/analytical)
2) Signaling (you were already good, just needed to prove it to others)
3) Self-acculturation (you decided that you want to be a particular type of person, and hang out with that type of person, so you go to school)

IRS: e-file Using a Computer

2006-01-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about my income taxes right now, and came across this little gem on the IRS website (e-file Using a Computer):

"NOTE: IRS cannot compete with private enterprise and does not offer free e-file software or direct filing. "

My interpretation: The federal government creates demand for a service (tax preparation), but it would be "unfair competition" against the capitalists if the government actually helped satisfy the demand for this service by commissioning the production of public-domain software.

Marginal Revolution: Self-deception in politics

2006-01-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

Marginal Revolution: Self-deception in politics

Links to a article in the NYTimes about some recent MRI studies, *apparently* showing that political information is processed emotionally, not rationally. Also links to an academic paper by Tyler Cowen discussing the nature of political self-deception.

Are anarchists immune to this, or does it just take a different form? Anarchists are human, but play a different game than the hierarchists do--specifically, anarchists don't have to "pledge allegiance" to a leader, so the social/emotional dimension is removed from day-to-day political thought.

The Problem with the GOP | Freedom Democrats

2006-01-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

The Problem with the GOP | Freedom Democrats

An evaluation of how the GOP sold its soul by focusing on winning elections rather than "winning hearts and minds". Validates the anarchist attitude that a strong focus on electoral politics is suicidal.

Environmental Economics: What is the Coase Theorem, really?

2006-01-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

Environmental Economics: What is the Coase Theorem, really?

Some nit-picking over an economic theory. Basically, the question is how the distribution of property rights affects the decisions made in a market setting (more pollution or less?)

American Cultural Trends | Freedom Democrats

2006-01-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

American Cultural Trends | Freedom Democrats

A new method of clustering cultural groups within the US: finds that Americans are moving away from social attitudes (traditional conservatism and liberalism) and towards anti-social attitudes, embodied in an atomized combativeness. Evaluated from a left-libertarian perspective.

Can pharmaceuticals be developed without patents?

2006-01-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

Can pharmaceuticals be developed without patents?

Via Freedom Democrats.

Emprical study suggesting that patents reduce innovation.

How to hide things in public places

2006-01-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Via Marginal Revolution. The title says it all. I think this is relevant to the concept of ownership/possession (if no-one else knows that something exists, no-one can take it from me). Also, the publisher, Loompanics, may be of interest as they have some books on anarchism, survivalism, and other such DIY stuff.

HOW TO HIDE THINGS IN PUBLIC PLACES: " Did you ever want to hide something from prying eyes, yet were afraid to do so in your home? Now you can secrete your valuables away from home, by following Dennis Fiery's eye-opening instructions in How to Hide Things in Public Places. The world around us is filled with cubbyholes and niches that can be safely employed... and this book identifies them. Among the topics covered are:"

Gumption Rewarded With Even More Work | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

2006-01-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

Gumption Rewarded With Even More Work | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

News, or comedy?

"DiCenzo received the title of Supervising Floor Manager and no raise in pay"