Frustration with the United States government administration - headed by George W Bush and associates from 2000 through to this date in November 2006, while always apparent in the rest of the world, was not strong domestically until recent months. However, it has now become very widespread and vocal as shown by demonstrations, in newsprint and on the Internet. Increasing numbers of columnists now don't hesitate to heavily criticize the actions and non-actions of the current administration; and many bemoan the mechanisms of the US government itself. There have been groups of various "libertarian" degrees in existence for many years in the US, including the Libertarian Party that has been a thorn in the side of both Republicans and Democrats in several elections. Very few of these, however, have given specifics on the foundations and practice of an orderly society of free individuals which would contain the self-ordering feedback necessary to prevent its deterioration in the manner that has occurred to US society, since the high point of freedom and limited government intrusion after the Revolutionary war, into the enormous tax burden of legalized theft and highly restricted set of choices that currently exists. Even more rare is any discussion about how those in the increasingly government dominated society of the US (and other industrialized countries) might move towards such a free society with sufficient stabilizing self-ordering feedback, without the strong likelihood of creating an even worse situation.
A recent Rational Review News Digest (for 11/3/05) included a brief excerpt and link to a news article on the CBS News website concerning a group trying to remove the current administration. Reading the CBS article motivated me to more fully investigate the group: "The World Can't Wait; Drive out the Bush Regime" - particularly in regard to the details of that group's goals. Here is the major portion of their Mission Statement:
World Can't Wait is organizing people living in the United States to take responsibility to stop the whole disastrous course led by the Bush administration. We seek to create a political situation where the Bush administration's program is repudiated, where Bush himself is driven from office, and where the whole direction he has been taking U.S. society is reversed.
We seek to mobilize millions to express their outrage, to speak the truth, to act with urgency and form an organized political resistance. We welcome any individuals and groups who agree that the Bush Regime should be driven out, whatever their political party affiliation or lack thereof. We reach out to people who have been fooled by Bush, and to those who have been most seriously affected by the outrages inflicted by the Bush Regime.
The following is the contents of the message left at worldcantwait.net's contact page as it was sent as a copy to me:
-----Original Message-----
From: The World Can't Wait|Drive Out the Bush Regime
[mailto:dobr@worldcantwait.net]
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 6:46 PM
To: kitty@morelife.org
Subject: Copy of: With What Do You Fill the Void?
This is a copy of the following message you sent to
World Can't Wait via World Can't Wait | Drive Out the Bush Regime
This is an enquiry e-mail via http://www.worldcantwait.net from:
Katherine Antonik Wakfer kitty@morelife.org
I read the news story (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/02/national/main1005030.shtml)
on this organization with interest because I have been concerned about the
errors of George Bush and offensive military actions since the horror of
September 11, 2001 was still the only thing being shown on TV ( http://morelife.org/persona/kittyreflects/kiton010920.html ).
The increased interference of the federal and individual state governments,
in all areas of human interaction, which followed in order to "fight terrorism",
or in regard to some other crusade that a particular group urged as necessary,
have actually been mechanisms for control over large numbers of people, rather
than for protection as they are said to be. Bush's penchant for power both within
and outside this country is more clearly visible to growing numbers of people in
the last few years because of the Internet, which makes the spotlight of information
particularly powerful.
However, what does your group - as well as others surfacing this year - suggest
should replace Bush and buddies? It is not simply this president and his associates
who are responsible for the increasingly fascist practices of the US government.
These measures have been active and increasing since early in the 20th century,
with the ground fertile for their placement going back to the very words of the
US Constitution itself. I addressed this point in my very first public Internet
essay, "Return to the Constitution?!" http://www.strike-the-root.com/3/wakfer/wakfer1.html
(See Self-Sovereign Individual Project itself for referenced articles, http://selfsip.org ;
links were removed by strike-the-root.com site editor). While the Federalist movement
spearheaded by Madison and Hamilton was a major factor, there was also the Interstate
Commerce Commission begun in 1887 and before that the very first federal agencies begun
by another George - Washington. The use of the collective "we" (and "us" and "our") within
the founding documents implies that in regard to those documents, all US citizens were in
agreement rather than merely those who actually signed them, but this was and is far from
the truth. My closing sentence: "If a thoughtful reader studies the ideas of these documents
both included and excluded, and the full implications of those ideas, then he will see that
voting out the current culprits and returning to the original documents (if that were even
possible in the world of politics and all that entails) will not assure the life, liberty,
and ability to pursue happiness that Paul and I - and, hopefully, most on earth - desire."
I am not suggesting a ripping asunder of the current structure of the US - such would
simply lead to chaos and a filling of the "power vacuum" by another or others, likely far
worse. This is because the vast majority of individuals in the US are not currently well
prepared for the level of self-responsibility that would be required in a truly minimally
restrictive social order. Any society (individuals who interact with each other) with rules
created by an individual or group imposed by way of force is a government, whether elected,
appointed, inherited or simply accepted. Whereas, individuals who interact with others by
way of specified agreements will have acquired sufficient knowledge and understanding of
the mutual benefits that are the goal of such fully voluntary contracts. A foundational
principle that makes such agreements workable is that each individual, even when not
completely consistent (consistency comes only with the use of widest viewed, longest range
thinking), seeks to maximize hir (his/her) own lifetime happiness (all that sh/e values
and wants to gain). Large numbers of individuals can associate peacefully and productively
when this principle is utilized by each along with understanding that every individual is
unique and separate, even when acting cooperatively with others (where the "I" stops and
the "non-I" begins), and recognizing that there are no conflicts between rational humans
(those using widest view, longest range thinking). Learning and understanding these
principles and then acknowledging agreement, to practices logically derived from them, via
a social contract that applies to all and only those who sign it are the conditions that
will allow a society of maximally free, unrestricted and happy individuals. This
comprehension can take place while governments exist - and should, even can only, take
place under conditions of stability rather than chaos. Even though the current examples
and trends in society are not conducive to it, there is still sufficient stability to
allow time for the required learning and understanding by the first moderate numbers of
individuals for whom this paradigm shift is only slightly different from what they have
already sensed is a better way, or those who are young enough to not have been stifled
completely from thinking "outside the box". Once the example exists of small (but growing)
group(s) of individuals interacting at close and far range by way of social contracts -
the current Interim Social Contract ( http://selfsip.org/solutions/socialcontract.html )
is an early illustration, others, for whom seeing such principles in operation is a necessary
incentive for further examination, will likely be motivated to join the budding society of freemen.
[Later Note: The reference above to the Interim Social Contract is obsolete; readers would best see The Natural Social Contract.
So I return to the question of "With what do you, the individuals organizing and supporting
WorldCan'tWait.net, offer to the readers/members to fill the void of a Bush-less US federal
government? I hope that readers of this message (to be included in an essay at http://selfsip.org/focus/ )
will be motivated to read the foundational essays at the Self-Sovereign Individual Project, consider
deeply the ideas presented, and offer comments and/or questions in a public forum so that others
can benefit from the discussion (MoreLife Yahoo is our preferred http://groups.yahoo.com/group/morelife/
because it is moderated and posters are required to identify themselves). Without a significant
change to the very foundations of the current structure which both terminates the rise in
restrictions of the spread and practice of new ideas and the increase in social chaos which
have been occurring particularly in recent years, a replacement of the Bush administration with
another Republican or a Democrat, Independent or any other political party candidate will bring
only another layer of patches to the already heavily patched quilt that is smothering the
populace of this portion of North America, and actually extending to the entire world.
This may truly be a "Rosa Parks moment" in history (a time for a paradigm shift), but
only if increasing numbers of people are sufficiently motivated to look long and deep at
what they have been accepting as "the best of governments" and to study equally long and
deep the referenced proposed solution for the creation of a society in which each individual
can mutually and consistently seek to maximize hir lifetime happiness using widest view,
longest range thinking.
**Kitty Antonik Wakfer
MoreLife for the rational - http://morelife.org
Reality based tools for more life in quantity and quality
Self-Sovereign Individual Project - http://selfsip.org
Rational freedom by self-sovereignty & social contracting
---------------------end of message--------------------------------
Power vacuums can not exist, at least not for very long - the results of the simple "answer" to remove an existing high government official has typically been replacement with someone at least as bad, if only in different ways. But the mechanisms for an orderly society are not only those that have been used to date - versions of governments by which one, few, many or the majority rule and thereby determine what is permissible and force that decision upon the rest. Homo sapien sapiens have come a great way in the many tens of thousands of years since appearing on earth. Scientific and technological advances have been plentiful and individuals can profit from the knowledge available to create a society that is improved over the best of the past. What exists now is far from optimum, but moving towards an optimal goal is very possible for those who are willing to take self-responsibility. This is my and Paul Wakfer's invitation and challenge to readers via the Self-Sovereign Individual Project.
