Anarchists Rule!

My acupuncturist advised me that current events are taking a terrible toll on my psyche and body and it would behoove me to take a news fast for a few days. As I unwound from the headlines, I could clearly see the damage left in the wake. There are so many emotional, physical, and spiritual assaults in progress my trauma meter is on boing.

Yet, I still, in spite of everything, believe there are so many good people in the world who truly want to help, to make the world a better place and can. It is not because they are told to do so by a police officer, or the Board of Supervisors, or California Assembly member or a State Senator or a President. It is because, given the right circumstances and offered civility and respect, folks will behave themselves. Not only do we behave but, I find that we, the common people, (not to be confused with the small people) are better informed than anyone in those elected positions.

I'm always mystified when I listen to congressional hearings on any subject. Whether it be weapons of mass destruction, Wall Street collapses, global warming, the Gulf oil leak disaster, those who are in charge know considerably less than I do about the subject. Do they read newspapers, watch TV? They have enormous staffs that could do the research if they are pressed for time. Still, after creating reams and stacks of hearings and testimonies and records, they don't know what's going on.

I have a confession to make, I didn't vote in the last election. That's a first for me. I struggled with the decision for a while, thinking, how couldn't I? What about those unfortunate subjects who are ruled by dictators, and how people fought and died for my right to vote, and doesn't voting make us a democracy? How could I refuse my civil obligation? But today as I return to the headlines I feel vindicated because life is spiraling out of control and I am not impressed with Democracy. I am sick of it.

The recent installation of democracy in the Middle East has been possibly one of the most destructive events ever, as far as the cradle of civilization is concerned. Yet, news analysts are wondering why there are protests in Toronto at the G20 summit.

It is because the G20 power brokers of the world have failed us completely? According to the media, a lot of the trouble in Toronto is generated by the Black Bloc, the anarchists. They are portrayed as violent hooligans and though I have seen them engage in property damage, usually directed at giant multinational corporations, I've never seen them assault another person, unlike the police dispatched to disrupt the protests. Are the anarchists the instigators?Maybe. I suppose it has nothing to do with the five miles of perimeter fence protecting plutocrats. It has nothing to do with the billions spent on unprecedented numbers of RoboCops in downtown Toronto. It has nothing to do with the fact that we are looking at the end of the world as we know it.

I, myself, have been to a few of these summits and the only reason I've gone was to represent myself because not one elected officials represents me. I hate it when pundits speak about “what the American people want.” I don't know if they've asked you, but they sure haven't asked me and I've been knocking on their doors for many years. Haven't you?

I believe any one of you listening to this broadcast could have made better decisions in the name of our collective progress. I believe that anyone listening to me has a moral compass, a capacity for logic, compassion for the most vulnerable among us, and an ingenuity, that with the right backing, could create a darn near utopia.

Seems like anarchy has gotten a bad rap. But I like the truth of it. Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and Christian anarchist said, "Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us." Dr. Marx E. Lazarus, an American anarchist, who said, "Every vote for a governing office is an instrument for enslaving me."

I experienced a downright upright example of anarchy this weekend at the Kate Wolf Festival in Laytonville at Black Oak Ranch. It was a gathering of thousands and not one police officer or elected person officiated at the event. There were rules, like no pets. Most agreed that was a good idea, what with all the little kids and bare feet. All weekend long folks were courteous, kind, and cleaned up after themselves. There were crews of volunteers who had their assigned tasks and carried them out with style and humor. Even the Porta-Potty guys had a good attitude. Folks smiled, danced, sang together, ate together, and not one incident of violence, although there was nudity, marijuana smoking, and even some wine and beer. Everyone governed themselves.

People do their best to be good folk, with nobody having to tell them this is right, and this is wrong. Still, if you make a mistake along the way, break someone's heart, or your own, you better look to yourself for the answers, for the solutions, and for the way to behave in a world full of dangerous hypocrisy. As Emma Goldman said " All government is tyranny.” Says Emerson, “It matters not whether it is government by divine right or majority rule. In every instance it's aim is the absolute subordination of the individual." I'm looking forward to Independence Day. Literally.