Pleasure Saucer Media

Zines I'd Like to Start in 2012

2011-12-28T01:54:00.001-05:00

I have enjoyed zines since I was a freshman in college, oh so long ago. I never made any, except for one abortive issue of of something I called Loki's Saga (no copies of this survive. I've made sure of that.) Still, I've always had the urge in the back of my brain to do a zine. Now that the the heyday of zines is over, and print is a dead media, its seems a perfect time to get into zine-making. Here are some titles I'm considering.

Big Anarchy- As an Anarchist, my lack of contributions to the Anarchist milieu is sometimes downright embarrassing. So, an Anarchy zine. I can advocate the abolition of the State and review punk albums with the best of them.
American Grimoire- Same goes for my interest in the occult. Magick is Art, is Culture, is Counter-Culture, is Subversion, is Rebellion. The American Military/Industrial Complex could use a good hexing.
Lemurian Chronicle- Weird thoughts! Weird humor! Weird fiction! Forteana! Weird religions and downright bizarre science! I remember Lemuria!

I don't know if I'll do any of those. I might do one, some, all, none, one issue, some irregular issues, a regular schedule....many options are available.

Goals for 2012

2011-12-24T13:08:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Here are my goals, my New Year's Writing Resolutions for Pleasure Saucer Press (possibly changing to Pleasure Saucer Media sometime soon.) Goals here are defined as things related to writing that I have control over. Things I'd like to have happen that I don't have control over are called dreams. This is not the post for dreams (that one will feature more clowns and trampolines attached to parachutes. Seriously, who dreams of an aerial invasion of trampolines via parachutes?)

Finish the script for all 18 episodes of 'Voltara the Demonslayer' by the beginning of February (I realize I haven't written anything about 'Voltara' on this blog yet. That will change soon.)
Write a feature length script (probably 'Location Shot'.)
Write 26 short stories, to be collected into 5 books.
Write the novel Dream of the Sorcerer.
Write 26 linked pieces of flash fiction (as-yet-unnamed SubGenius/Discordian/Moorish Orthodox project.) To be collected into a book.
Write 26 unlinked pieces of flash fiction, to be collected into a book.
Write 52 posts on this blog.
Write 52 posts on the We Think We're People blog.
Publish all of this.
Tell people about it. A lot of people.

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath's Resolutions for Writers 2012

2011-12-21T12:07:00.000-05:00

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath's Resolutions for Writers 2012:

'via Blog this'

Pretentious Title: How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day

2011-11-26T01:11:00.000-05:00

Pretentious Title: How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day:

'via Blog this'

Welcome guest blogger: Author, L. Neil Smith “Fiction is Mightier Than Fact”Silver Circle Underground | Silver Circle Underground

2011-11-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

Welcome guest blogger: Author, L. Neil Smith “Fiction is Mightier Than Fact”Silver Circle Underground | Silver Circle Underground:

'via Blog this'

Dean Wesley Smith » The New World of Publishing: There Are Suckers Born Every Minute and They Are Writers

2011-11-20T11:36:00.000-05:00

Dean Wesley Smith » The New World of Publishing: There Are Suckers Born Every Minute and They Are Writers:

'via Blog this'

Unusual Words

2011-11-20T10:57:00.000-05:00

I should write a story for each one of these words.

Unusual Words:

'via Blog this'

Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law

2011-11-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law:

'via Blog this'

Guns & Magic » The Indie Alternative Part 1

2011-11-08T20:27:00.000-05:00

Guns & Magic » The Indie Alternative Part 1:

'via Blog this'

Download Six Free Writing eBooks: NaNoWriMo Tip #7 - GalleyCat

2011-11-07T10:19:00.000-05:00

You ever find yourself taking the edge off your need to create by reading books on creating?

Download Six Free Writing eBooks: NaNoWriMo Tip #7 - GalleyCat:

'via Blog this'

Turkey City Lexicon – A Primer for SF Workshops

2011-11-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

Turkey City Lexicon – A Primer for SF Workshops:

This is an enjoyable read. Keep score on the fiction you read, and the stuff you write.

'via Blog this'

Why Science Fiction Writers are Like Porn Stars

2011-11-04T09:23:00.000-04:00

Why Science Fiction Writers are Like Porn Stars:

'via Blog this'

September Goals

2011-09-01T16:05:00.000-04:00

Write six chapters of the as of yet unnamed fantasy novel I'm working on.
Write four flash fiction pieces, and post them on this site.
Write two short stories for sale as Kindle singles.
Branch out from Kindle and Amazon, and fully explore all the epublishing platforms out there.
Do some promotion for Burn Sky.
Look into having some audio versions of the stories recorded and put out there.
Practice my "Look out, man! I'm a writer!" action tough-guy stance.

Free Flash Fiction Time!

2011-08-26T09:31:00.001-04:00

This thing is so very NSFW. Or Taste. Or Dr Who fans, proabably. Anyway, you've been warned.

Encounter at New Savannah

Year- 6014

Location- Planet of New Savannah

Jenny ran through the swamp, through the thunderstorm. She got the running from her father; He was a big believer in running.

She ran, heedless of the tree limbs ripping at her clothing, revealing the taut, fit form of the young blond woman. She knew why the people from the settlement pursued her, but she couldn’t help what she was.

Jenny tripped over a tree root, and fell into the mud. She came up, gasping for air, filthy. Getting to her feet, she looked around to get her bearings. A lightning flash illuminated some sort of structure about 50 meters away. It looked large, abandoned, and at this point Jenny didn’t care about anything else, she needed to get out of the storm.

Moss hung on the walls like they were curtains. Great vines strangled the fluted white columns and veranda at the front of the building. Jenny walked cautiously through the unlocked front door, her soldier’s senses finely tuned for danger.

Standing in the great hall of the structure, she eyed the barely illuminated decor. It looked elegant and faded. Aesthetic contemplation ended with the approach of a light from an interior doorway. Jenny tensed.

The light came from a candelabra, held by a woman wearing a sheer white gown.“I’d knew you’d come, grandfa-” The woman began, then came up short when she saw who was in the hall. “Who the hell are you?” The woman said, and strode angrily toward Jenny in order to get a better look.

Jenny was struck dumb. The woman was beautiful! Small, with short black hair in a pixie cut. The body athletic, with just the right amount of curve and sway to the hips to set Jenny’s knees to weaken. The aureole of nipples just visible through the gown rode so high on those firm yet ample breasts that they might as have been on parade. Jenny had only recently discovered that girls could make her feel the same way as boys. No boy had made her feel the way this woman did.

“Well?” Demanded the woman, looking at the bedraggled, half-naked form of Jenny with some distaste. “M-my name is Jenny....lovely h-house you hav... *slump*” Overcome with the excitement, cold, and lust, Jenny fainted before her mysterious host.

* * *.

Jenny awoke, warm and clean. Before opening her eyes, she sensed she was on a comfortable bed, the most comfortable she had ever experience. She stretched out. Jenny then noticed she was naked.

She open her eyes.

The woman was standing at the foot of the bed, naked as well. Every delight hinted at by the gown had been delivered in spades. She held a strange yet curiously familiar device in her hand.

“My name is Susan.” The woman said. “I believe you have some connection with my grandfather.” At this point Jenny would have happily confessed a connection with the woman’s grandfather, uncle, or the Interplanetary Sontaran Soccer Team if it would have gotten this Susan into bed with her.

“I’m not sure.” Jenny hedged. “Perhaps we could....discuss the situation?” She nonchalantly (as possible) let her legs splay wide, in what she hoped was an inviting stance.

Susan smirked. “My Grandfather abandoned me, oh so many lifetimes ago, on a world devastated by Daleks, with an idiot human I had a brief infatuation with. I had intended to lure my grandfather here, to get my revenge.” She sauntered over to the side of the bed, and let her fingers trace over Jenny’s breasts. Jenny shivered at the sensation. “I may still use you to get that revenge. But first, I’m going to have some fun. I deserve that.”

Susan lept on the bed, straddling Jenny. She fell upon Jenny, kissing her brutally, biting her lips, guiding Jenny’s unresisting hands above her head and pining them there, doing the same to Jenny’s legs with hers.

Jenny surrendered utterly, letting herself be used and abused. She writhed under the control of Susan, thrusting her hips up in an attempt to get some purchase, some friction, some longed-for penetration for her hungry sex. Her one free hand holding the strange device, Susan flicked a switch, causing a buzzing sound so familiar to Jenny that it almost brought her out of her reverie. Before she could get her mouth free to question it, Susan had moved the device to Jenny’s sex, and nuzzled it against her twin clitori (evidently a novelty among humanoids.)

Time whimed. Space wibbled, and wobbled. Her skin was bathed in a cold fire of sensation, and the Time Vortex exploded behind her eyes. Her back arched so hard she bucked Susan off, as glowing golden particles streamed from her eyes and mouth. Sitting up quickly, like a woman possessed, Jenny pounced on the now-startled Susan, and initiated her own kiss. She drew her head back sated, as life energy drained from Susan into Jenny.

Jenny lay in the bed next to Susan’s limp form, the post-coital, post-feeding depression already hitting her. At first it had just been a kiss, and then only if she were near death. Now she needed to consume an entire lifeforce with every orgasm. She wondered how long she could live this way. Maybe it would just be better to-

Jenny was interrupted from her brooding by a glow emanating from the evidently not quite dead Susan. Jenny watched, dumbfounded, as Susan’s body levitated off the bed. She dove off the bed once Susan’s hands and feet start shooting out streams of energy, still poking her head over the edge to watch the rest of the wonderment. Susan’s form lengthened to an Amazonian height, the features of her face changed, her breasts increased in size, and her hair when from short black to curly red. She examined her hands with astonishment.

Jenny figured that since the woman she thought she had kill was still alive, the least could do was be helpful.

“Now, about your grandfather....”

This is response to a flash fiction challenge from the Terrible Minds website. Had to do a mashup of two genres, I chose femslash (Dr Who) and Southern Gothic. First time writing fanfic, femslash, or flash fiction. I had plans to use the characters, plus a new original one, a forgotten daughter of the Master (cleverly named, "The Mistress") in a rollickly erotic adventure as the schtup half the cosmos. I may still do that. Anyway, I hope you like this. Currently working on a sword'n'sorcery novel, and the next story in the Lucasta Bashir saga.

The Life Cycle Of A Novel

2011-08-17T07:30:00.000-04:00

From the excellent blog Terrible Minds:

The Life Cycle Of A Novel

New Story: "Burn Sky"

2011-07-31T21:12:00.000-04:00

"Lucasta Bashir is a typical teenager, going to school on the Tecumseh space station. Typical, that is, aside from illegally racing homemade spacecraft. Now the school has found out she's a racer, and has offered her an impossible choice: betray her friends, or be exiled to the Hell of the future- the surface of Planet Earth."

Now available from Pleasure Saucer Press! Please check out the free sample. If you like it, please consider buying it and, just as importantly, leaving a review and telling your friends. Nook, Smashwords, and other versions coming soon.

Welcome to Pleasure Saucer Press

2011-07-31T17:45:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia
This all started out as a TV show.
I am a reverend in the Church of the Subgenius. Before there was a flying spaghetti monster, before there was Anonymous, before there was 4Chan's /b/, there was the Church of the Subgenius. More than a joke, less than a cult (they don't give you the kool-aid, you have to make your own), the subgenii are a group of mutants and mockers, artists and assholes, proponents of weirdness for the sake of weirdness, and FUCK YOU if you can't take a joke.
They are my kind of people.
One of the central tenets of the Subgenius faith is the concept of "Launching your own escape vessel" (escape vessels are also called 'pleasure saucers'.) Which means, in essence, finding your bliss, your vocation, your Tao, your raison d'etre, and making it the supreme thing in your life. Or it means making your own DIY nuclear-powered UFO in your backyard, whichever is fine.
My first attempt at this was Pleasure Saucer TV, a program on Buncombe County's former public access TV station, URTV. Due to in-fighting, short-sightedness, and financial shenanigans from the Buncombe County Commission, it was shut down. This taught me an important lesson: control the means of production.
This brings us to my latest escape vessel, Pleasure Saucer Press. As heralded by writers such as Wesley Dean Smith, there is a revolution going on in publishing right now, a revolution paralleled in the music and the TV/film industry. The gatekeepers and the costs of production are fast disappearing, eliminating the barriers (and overhead costs) between producers and consumers. Plus, you get much better production values in a story than you do in a movie.
So, Pleasure Saucer Press will be putting out a new short story, comic collection, or novel every one to two weeks. For updates, please subscribe to this blog, like Pleasure Saucer Press on Facebook, or follow me on the Twitter.

Related articles

Call for Performers: Burlesque Dancers, Musicians, Vaudeville & Sideshow Performers, and the Adventurous are Invited to Audition

2011-03-02T17:51:00.000-05:00

I am producing a burlesque DVD with my good friend Queen April, tentatively entitled "Night of the Peep Show." It will be a ensemble of twelve acts, 3-7 minute long each. They will feature original music, the finest burlesque performers in the Western North Carolina area (which are finer than you probably realize) and themes of magical realism and the fantastic.
All musicians, burlesque dancers, vaudeville performers, and the adventurous who are interested in appearing in this DVD should contact me to schedule an audition. More details, pre-order options, pay scales (yes, you will be paid to be in this DVD), and all sorts of things to follow.

Propaganda Lalaland: Buenos Aires in Anarchy?

2011-01-19T12:31:00.000-05:00

Very interesting. Seems like I need to investigate Argentina.Also interesting is that I couldn't directly share this link to Facebook. Hopefully this blog post will get through.

Propaganda Lalaland: Buenos Aires in Anarchy?

Two Pieces of Chaotic Knowledge

2011-01-03T17:23:00.000-05:00

From Verwirrung:

The Et Cetera Discordia: "

In 1958 or 1959 (we’re not sure which), Eris, the Goddess of Confusion, sent an Emperor Penguin to a bowling alley in California. It appeared before Malaclypse the Younger and Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst and inspired them to create the Discordian Society: a tribe of philosophers, theologians, magicians, scientists, artists, clowns, and similar maniacs.

The Et Cetera Discordia proudly celebrates 50th the anniversary of this prophetic vision. It is a collage of the funny, weird, and often profound writings and art created by numerous modern (and post-modern) Discordians. This book is an invitation to join them in exploring, celebrating, and remixing this strange and exciting century."

And from These Old New Traditions:

"PHIL HINE UPLOADS HIS CHAOS INTERNATIONAL ARTICLES TODAY!

Chaos Magick mastermind extraordinaire, Phil Hine, just made available digital formats of all his Chaos International articles."

They may be found here: http://www.mediafire.com/?03bxcf7e4eknny4

Are You Ready for the Revolution? - Infoshop News

2011-01-02T12:55:00.000-05:00

Not quite yet. I should get on that.

Are You Ready for the Revolution? - Infoshop News

Resolutions for the Year that Goes Up To Eleven

2010-12-29T18:34:00.000-05:00

Image by RHiNO NEAL via FlickrFor the new upcoming year of 2011, I resolve to (among other things):

Get a body I like, or like the body I got. One of the two.
Get paid for writing.
Write a novel.
Make a movie.
Work for myself.
Make some decent clothes
Become a handy, crafty, DIY dude.
Increase Anarchy.
Celebrate the year, with as many holidays as I can.
Live within walking (or at least biking) distance of downtown Asheville.
Build a chain-sword.

The Julian Assange Welcome Pledge

2010-12-06T21:10:00.000-05:00

I, Rev. Johnny Lemuria (sometimes known as John L Robinson), hereby pledge that if Julian Assange should call upon me in need of a place to stay, I will provide it to him with no questions asked, indefinitely, and with the highest degree of security and confidentiality I can provide. I’m easy to get a hold of.

Now it’s your turn. Simply replace my name with yours and publish. Link here if you wish, but publish.

A Humble Suggestion

2010-12-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Luigi Galleani (1861 – November 4, 1931)

Dear Asheville-Area Anarchists (at least those of the insurrectionist variety),
First of all, solidarity. I may not agree with the tactics of two recent actions in Asheville, but I wasn't there, and few things are more annoying than a backseat rioter or an armchair class-warrior. What was done, was done.
However.
As I understand it, the theory behind insurrectionism is that such acts are meant to either inspire the populace to revolt, sustain the anarchists in their revolution, or demonstrate that such actions of revolt and revolution are possible. I fail to understand how breaking shop & car windows, and 're-painting' the walls of the Dept of Corrections, accomplishes any of those things. Public opinion seems to be against it, and it seems like a lot of the other anarchists in the area are against it as well ( again, backseat rioters and armchair class-warriors, but we do have to live with each other.) I don't think it netted you anything material to continue the struggle with. And while the attack on the DOC did a little bit to expand the realm of possibilities, the May Day stuff certainly didn't. We already knew glass breaks.
Please understand, I'm not coming after you on some sort of moralistic high horse. I'm hardly in a position to judge the ethics of fellow anarchists. And I hope I don't come off sounding like an anarchist veteran trying to set you straight. I am in no way a veteran of the struggle, nor do I delude myself into thinking I'm some tactical mastermind who has the perfect set of plans for you.
What I am is a fellow anarchist. Not an insurrectionist, but broadly in the mutualist/syndicalist camp. I practice the tactic of dual power. I believe when the 'long emergency' starts, and the Age of the Black Swan arrives, we're not going to need to disrupt the capitalist system. Its going to be plenty disrupted on its own. What we as anarchists need to do is to be ready when that disruption occurs. You've demonstrated your affinity for action and violence, and there's nothing wrong with that. Given that affinity, and given the tactic of dual power, may I recommend forming an Anarchist Militia? We could use one. I honestly think it would more fully reach the goals of Insurrectionism, and be much more popular (and since this whole thing is about liberating the populace, shouldn't that be a valid concern?)
There are plenty of projects going on right now that could use the muscle (Copwatch, LBGT defense, etc.) The ethics and practice of an anarchist militia should be worked now, before it is actually needed. Now is the time, and Asheville is a good place, to do that.

Marchers will show solidarity with the anarchists known as the Asheville 11 on Dec. 1 - Ashvegas - Ashvegas

2010-11-29T15:13:00.000-05:00

I can't make this. But people in Asheville should, and should support the Asheville 11. No matter what you think about the actions committed that night, it does not excuse the behavior of the police and the DA. The evidence is weak, and the charges are out of proportion. Marchers will show solidarity with the anarchists known as the Asheville 11 on Dec. 1 - Ashvegas - Ashvegas

More housecleaning

2010-11-24T08:38:00.001-05:00

I'm redesigning things. More details to follow.

Black Plants and Twilight Zones: Scientific American

2010-11-21T05:30:00.000-05:00

this helps explain the Black Thorn League on Zarmina (details of that to follow.)

Black Plants and Twilight Zones: Scientific American

November 18 Declared 'Have Sex With a Guy With a Mustache' Day - Asylum.com

2010-11-18T08:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah....I'm for this.

November 18 Declared 'Have Sex With a Guy With a Mustache' Day - Asylum.com

Drew Taylor Space Art: Gliese 581 g

2010-11-18T07:42:00.000-05:00

An artists' speculation on what the landscape of Zarmina would look like. Needs more spooky alien towers, and of course killbots.

Drew Taylor Space Art: Gliese 581 g

'Earth-like' planet may not exist - World News, 62336

2010-11-11T13:39:00.000-05:00

'Cloaking Field' activated.

'Earth-like' planet may not exist - World News, 62336

Government harassing and intimidating Bradley Manning supporters - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

2010-11-09T23:58:00.000-05:00

Reason #5761 I think living under the rule of the US Government isn't all that great.

Government harassing and intimidating Bradley Manning supporters - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

Video: Climate Model Suggests Where the Aliens Are | Wired Science | Wired.com

2010-11-09T04:08:00.000-05:00

Fluid dynamics is a hell of a science. It turns out that due to all sorts of atmospheric data that I'm not educated enough to understand, the habitable zone of Zarmina, a tidally-locked exo-planet, probably won't be a simple ring around the planet at the terminator. Instead it will evidently be more of a 'V' shape. More information on this when I figure what the heck that means, as this article, while nice in alerting me to this, is less that helpful with the comprehensible details.

Video: Climate Model Suggests Where the Aliens Are | Wired Science | Wired.com

Declaration of Sovereignty

2010-11-03T05:11:00.000-04:00

I'm starting my own country. When someone starts their own country, and it isn't (normally) raided by the BATF soon after, that country is called a micronation. There are many micronations, and the practice has a long and fascinating history. Some are serious, some are playful, and lots are ridiculous (guess which one kind I'm going for.) A lot of ideas are ridiculous before they work.

Countries are works of art. Some micronations are explicitly art-oriented, such as Ladonia, or the NSK State. That is what I'm aiming this, the Triple Caliphate of Zarmina, to be along the lines of. Here's a random video on the new planet Zarmina, which I am claiming as my territory:

The Caliphate is a theocratic micronation (for a given value of theocratic), which means that not only will it be an art micronation, it will be an art religion, like my three favorite art religions: the Church of the Subgenius, the Cult of Discordia, and the Moorish Orthodox Church.
Below is the Declaration of Sovereignty for the micronation:

Declaration of Sovereignty

of the

Triple Caliphate of Zarmina

as revealed by

The Cosmic Horde

Let the Received Wisdom of the Cosmic Horde be known.
Let it be known that the Cosmic Horde resides on the Holy Planet Zarmina, has experienced the Liberatory Transformation, and desires that others do the same.
Let it be known that they have created the Triple Caliphate of Zarmina to provide the Liberatory Transformation to the People of Earth.
Let it be known that the People of Earth are Free.
Let it be known that the only purpose Politics and Religion now serve for humanity is as Art.
Let it be known that the Triple Caliphate of Zarmina serves as an organ for its citizens to suffuse their lives with Art, and thus give it meaning, for there is no meaning to life without Art.
Let it be known that the six pillars of the Caliphate are Love, Truth, Peace, Freedom, Justice, and Beauty.
Let it be known that the Six Pillars are the Virtues of the Cosmic Horde, and the Keys to the Liberatory Transformation.
Let it be known that reality is what you can get away with.

Rev. Johnny Lemuria
Caliph
Ambassador to Earth

As I have said previously, my new TV show premiering in December, Dispatches from Planet Z, will be the official outlet and news service for the Triple Caliphate. Befriend the Z on Facebook for the inside scoop, and watch this blog for more details.

Planet Zarmina is ripe for colonization from within its own system [Rankspeculation] (io9.com)

Triple Caliphate of Zarmina

2010-10-27T19:37:00.000-04:00

Greetings, Earthlings. I have declared myself Hierophant, Thaumaturge, and Reverend General of the planet Zarmina. I have formed the Triple Caliphate of Zarmina to administer the planet on behalf of the Space Brothers (an inexact translation of their true name, more on them later.)
The televison program "Dispatches from Planet Z", premiering in December on URTV, will be the official news and information service for the Caliphate. It will enlighten the wretches of Earth, lost in their spiritual wilderness.
As the the Reverend General of the Triple Caliphate, I am empowered to make those who desire it citizens of Zarmina. Details on this shall be forthcoming.
The Triple Caliphate of Zarmina is a synthesis of three ancient Earth faiths, each of whom has held a glimmer, however incomplete, of the true religion: The Church of the Subgenius, the Cult of Discordia, and the Moorish Orthodox Church. Litanies, parables, psalms, epistles, fatwas, and slash fanfic to follow shortly.

ClubOrlov: A Specter Is Haunting America

2010-10-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

More cheery fun from my favorite Russian futurist site, Club Orlov:

ClubOrlov: A Specter Is Haunting America

'Dispatches from Planet Z' will kick your ass

2010-10-27T02:05:00.000-04:00

"Dispatches from Planet Z", the newest television experience from Pleasure Saucer Productions, will redefine your reality. Long held preconceptions and cherished axioms will be blown away. You'll be able to taste colors. Various appendages will grow larger and firmer. You will become irresistible to individuals of an indeterminate gender.

Candy may be involved.

"Dispatches from Planet Z" will be a weekly half-hour show, premiering on URTV, a service of the Western North Carolina Community Media Center. It will feature the news and views of myself, Rev. Johnny Lemuria, and be the official state media the Triple Caliphate of Zarmina (More on that later.)

But this will not merely be a lonely solo effort! Oh, no indeed. By reading this, you have the chance to become one of the Elite, the Elect, the Worthy; you have a chance to contribute to the Dispatches.

Send me your content! Send me your photos, send me your videos, send me your artwork, your stories, your poems. Let's get them on the air! Rejected by others because its too weird, too twisted? That's what I crave! Worried its not twisted enough? Don't. I can take care of that. Don't have a visual record to send? If you're in the Buncombe County area, I'll film it for you.

Become part of Planet Z! Join the facebook page, and help decide on topics, the tone of the show, what kind of content it will have, all sorts of things! Become one of the avant garde. Join the "in" crowd of the New Era. Journey to Planet Z.

5 Reasons The Future Will Be Ruled By B.S. | Cracked.com

2010-10-18T15:23:00.000-04:00

The trick of the future is to find out way through the FARTS.

5 Reasons The Future Will Be Ruled By B.S. | Cracked.com

But I think we will. These advancements in technology are a market disruption, and that means some old business models simply won't work anymore, and some new ones will. No amount of hand-wringing or legislation is going to change that. The tragedy is that some things we love won't or simply can't switch over to a business model that will support them. And that is sad. Its still going to happen, though.

Housecleaning

2010-09-05T10:10:00.000-04:00

In a rather anal-retentive and obsessive-compulsive need, I'm getting rid of all the failed and stillborn blogs I have accumulated over the years. Most of the have only one, or no, posts. But the Vortex Cabaret has some posts, and some posters I designed that I really like, so I'm going to import all of those here.

And now, a transition

2010-07-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

The Vortex Cabaret, as a live show, is no more. However, at The Pleasure Saucer, I am preparing a series of television specials, presented by Pleasure Saucer Productions and the Vortex Cabaret Clench. I hope to continue the spirit of the Vortex Cabaret, minus the spirit of a complete lack of audience, there.
This will be the last post of this blog. For more information on upcoming project, please visit The Pleasure Saucer.

Free-Market Alternatives to the State

2010-07-12T20:23:00.000-04:00

In case your were wondering how this whole "Anarchy" thing would work.

Free-Market Alternatives to the State

t r u t h o u t | The Lonely, Dangerous Fight Against Christian Supremacists Inside the Armed Forces

2010-07-12T15:56:00.000-04:00

Some people continue to say, "Islam is the religions of terrorists, the religion of hate. You don't see Christians engaging in such widespread terrorism."

Here it is. These are Christians killing civilians. These are Christians intimidating and persecuting civilians. These are Christians brutalizing and intimidating Americans. These are Christians harming American national security. These are your Christian terrorists.

t r u t h o u t | The Lonely, Dangerous Fight Against Christian Supremacists Inside the Armed Forces

LF Special Report: Top Ten Cybernetic Upgrades Everyone Will Want

2010-07-11T12:16:00.000-04:00

Now this is what I like to see. Some nice, crazily optimistic, bright-eyed futurism. It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that if we want to get to Planet X, we're going to have to make it here. And if the Subgenius is going to become Overman, we had better start cracking.

LF Special Report: Top Ten Cybernetic Upgrades Everyone Will Want

I Should Explain What's Happening

2010-07-10T16:39:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

So. It turns out that URTV will now last another year, and possible must longer. I have the producer bug again.
So.
I'm going to resurrect the Pleasure Saucer TV show. I'm not going to do a TV series. Rather, I'm going to do a series of monthly one-hour specials. They're not going to be talk-shows with weird elements. They are going to be full-bore Subgenius tele-devivals, full of sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, and slack, slack, slack. I may expand these into live shows that filmed later on, but for the first three or four are going to be a straight studio creation.
I'm also going to do a radio show with my brother, name undetermined as of yet (maybe "Asheville Supertalk." Maybe not.) More updates on all of this as they develop.

Vortex Cabaret 5-6-10

2010-05-04T19:48:00.000-04:00

We have the divine Queen April. We have a special musical performance by Nick BC of the band Wages. We have the finest and funniest in Asheville comedy. We've got all you can drink beer for $5. We have free passes to Scandals and the Boiler Room when you attend the Vortex Cabaret. Come on by.

Some Thoughts on the Recent Unpleasantness

2010-05-03T20:21:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

This last Saturday night, on May Day, some anarchists broke some windows in Asheville. Some people are calling them "so-called" anarchists, or "self-proclaimed" anarchists. Those are slurs invented by the media and those in power. If they say they are anarchists, and are sincere in that declaration, then they are anarchists. They may not be particular good anarchists, or intelligent anarchists, but they are anarchists.
Some thoughts:

If this is insurrectionism , you're doing it wrong. Propaganda by Deed takes wit, balls, and style. This action showed none of those.
All they did was break some windows. They didn't kill anybody, they didn't assault anybody. They did hurt people, because those businesses were owned by people, some of whom shouldn't have had to go through this. But they didn't set up a system to steal part of their income every year. They didn't beguile & bully the children of Asheville to die in wars on foreign soil. They didn't use political skulduggery to help corporations poison the land and the people. On the grand scale of people who have done things to hurt Asheville locals, these guys are actually pretty far down the list.
While they may not get my support as anarchists (nor, I assert, do they deserve yours), they do deserve our support as prisoners. The prison-industrial complex is a monster to be resisted, and those in its power are people to be helped. Even if they have done something you don't like. If you truly believe there is a better way to interact with people who have aggressed, then don't throw away that belief just because something bad has happened to them. Evil done against your enemies is still evil.
The anarchist community in Asheville is evidently rather splintered. I'm not necessarily against that. Union for its own sake is odious. But maybe we could do a bit more talking? Maybe? If not an outright Asheville anarchist organization, they at least mabye an Asheville anarchist coffee klatch? Maybe we could be the Kombucha Party.

AnarchistNews.Org call for solidarity and support

Asheville Solidarity Economics

2010-04-28T21:35:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

I was privileged this Sunday to attend a meeting of the Firestorm Cafe's monthly reading group. We read the pamphlet "Solidarity Economics" by Ethan Miller. Solidarity Economics seems to be a somewhat broader version of a concept I know and approve of, Counter-Economics. The conversation eventually moved to the solidarity economic firms we currently have (Firestorm Cafe, the Asheville Currency Project) and the things we thought we needed. Here's a list.

Localized surplus redistribution/investment network
Real utility cooperatives
An affordable child-care network
School LETS & solidarity economic networks
Local agriculture co-op and buying club network
A directory of working models & examples of actual solidarity economic firms
A local solidarity economics directory
An ethical realty firm
Financial planning/counseling for radicals
Local emergency communication network
More co-op housing
More intern & apprenticeship programs
Bring back the ACRC
Radical security/conflict resolution/crisis intervention
Chamber of solidarity commerce
local area-wide ride-sharing network
Network and mechanism for utilizing excess household capacity
More mutual aid societies

So....
Its an impressive list, really. Anybody want to get started? I'll be posting more thoughts on this in the next few weeks.

Carnival of the Stark Fist, 4-11-10

2010-04-11T02:18:00.000-04:00

A day late and a dollar short. All part of the master plan.

Chicken hearts are more dangerous than you think.
The World will end on July 5th, 2010. We're sure of it this time.
This has not been a good year for movies. It has, however, been an excellent year for childhood-raping. Most years are, now that I think about it. By the way, Clash of the Titans was utterly terrible. I never thought I'd be nostalgic for Burgess Meredith in a dress.
Speaking of childhood-raping, Episkosos Cain Aerte wonders of the more ethically flexible among us are not in the wrong cult.
However, if ethics are your "thing", maybe you should consider joining the Union of Radical Magi.

Remember, if you any suggestions for the next carnival, please let me know.

Vortex Cabaret

2010-04-03T23:18:00.000-04:00

Its another Vortex Cabaret. Great comedy, music by Spoken Nerd, art, thrills, chills, life-changing entertainment. You know the deal.

Carnival of the Stark Fist- Summertime stylin'

2010-04-03T00:41:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Well, it certainly feels like summer, at any rate. Here is the rundown of the best in the Subgenius, Discordian, and Moorish Orthodox bloggings this week. Which isn't much.

Reverend Bunny Day delves into the mystery of what sex with Danzig is like.
Your latest Hour of Slack.
To fill out the post today, I'd like to mention on of my favorite news feeds: The High Weirdness Project. Really lets you keep your pulse on the real world.

That's it for this week. Remember, if you have any Subgenius, Discordian, or Moorish Orthodox posts you want in the next carnival, please submit them here.

I plan to be far too busy in April.

2010-03-29T21:17:00.000-04:00

Script Frenzy starts on Thursday, and I'm taking part. I'm rather excited. The idea behind Script Frenzy is a lot like the idea behind NanNoWriMo, only instead of writing a 50,000 word novel in a month, you're writing a 100-page script. They're having a contest where you design a movie poster for your script over at the Script Frenzy website. Here's my submission:

Vortex Cabaret 4-1-10

2010-03-29T00:48:00.000-04:00

A new year is upon us. Yes, this is when the new year starts, April 1st. Don't be misled by the conspiracy! Celebrate it at the Vortex Cabaret, with comediennes Becca Steinhoff and Katie Hughes. Celebrate it with a performance by Meg Hen. Celebrate it with the music sensation Death by Analog (we mean it this time!) Celebrate it with $5 all you can drink PBR.
The Vortex Cabaret. Come early, drink often.

Carnival of the Stark Fist- the Resurrection

2010-03-26T13:13:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

That's right, what was once a regular feature is making a comeback. Fridays are now my weekly roundup of what's going on in the Subgenius, Discordian, and Moorish Orthodox blogospheres. This is why the internet was created. Seriously, fuck LOLcats.

Hour of Slack #1249- The weekly podcast from high in the dark tower of the Church's central hierarchy, bringing the latest good news to the faithless and terror to the pinks. Except that this one is a re-run. But that's okay. Time control!
A New Calendar- On the subject of Time Control, Rev. Bunny day of Radio ?! (pronounced "interrobang") has produced a new calendar for you to arrange you lives around, and then ignore. The creation of timekeeping and event-recording systems is a very important activity for Yetis. One of the most insidious ways the Conspiracy controls what you think is be controlling how you remember the past and plan for the future (my advice- do neither.) On the subject of Radio ?! - MOAR RADIO ?!!!!! I love these podcasts. Really , the entirety of Rev. Bunny Day's blog is massive amounts of win.
Your Instructions- From Frop Bobbie. Follow them. FOLLOW THEM! ALL OF THEM! RIGHT NOW! AT THE SAME TIME! DO IT!

That's is for right now. Did I miss anything? Any Discordian or MOC events going on I should know about (I did look)? Any feeds I should be following? If so, let me know.

RIP Robert Culp

2010-03-25T14:51:00.000-04:00

Image by Nevada Tumbleweed via Flickr

From spying with Bill Cosby to handling our greatest neurotic American heroes, Robert Culp kept my childhood television world safe. You will be missed.

2010-03-24T14:29:00.000-04:00

Image by dragon762w via Flickr

Its Spring again. Hooray! Time, for life, time for fun, time for heat (and then refreshing coolness after the heat!)
I am not ready for Spring and Summer. Don't get me wrong, I like that winter is going away (barring the occasional unseasonal snow flurry Mother Nature pops up just to fuck with me.) I'm just not in a life regenerating mindset right now. I have to prepare for those, because my tendency is to start a million things at once. I'm a bad-ass at starting things. My endings could use a little work.
I'm certainly not prepared physically. My body is still firmly in a hibernation, fend-off-the-winter-with-a-layer-of-blubber mode. I am, in short, fat. Rotund. Portly. Husky. In danger of developing my own planetary system. The jokes go on and on.
I need to lose weight. Period. This is not a moral issue. This is not an environmental issue. This isn't even a health issue. I'm not getting the things I want done accomplished, and one of the things holding me back is my weight. So it goes.
This is part of Operation: Spring cleaning. Out with the old, and the unneeded. Time to be ruthless. I need space, physically, mentally, and emotional. Time to clean up, and straighten out.

Something to do

2010-03-24T13:36:00.000-04:00

Like I don't already have enough to do....

Script Frenzy!

I've been meaning to write a script anyway, so I might as well do it to an arbitrary deadline, and blog the results.

Vortex Cabaret 3-25-10

2010-03-23T21:59:00.000-04:00

The finest in Asheville comedy.
Burlesque dancer Ophelia Cummings
Music by Seawhistle
Buckaroo Banzai (for real this time.)
$5 all-you-can-drink PBR.
Access to all the clubs with admission to the Vortex Cabaret.
Me in a swanky gold lame' jacket.
Come on down!

New Band Names

2010-03-16T06:52:00.000-04:00

Image of Jiivan Nelson

Traxx, the band I was in, has broken up. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It has shuffled off its metaphorical mortal coil, and joined the concert line-up invisible. If it wasn't a convenient fiction to consider it one entity, it would be pushing up the daisies. Its fucking snuffed it. This is an ex-band.
That's okay. We had fun, and when it stopped being fun for some people, we found others ways to have fun. Which brings me to my next project. Jiivan, the former drummer of Traxx, and I are teaming up as a as-of-yet unnamed duo. Something in the heavy electronica genre. The thing is, we don't have a name yet. It may seem silly to be going on about a name when we don't have any tracks yet, but I can't do anything about that right now. So, I will work on what I can.
Here are the ideas and suggestions I've had and received for band names. The one's Jiivan likes are in white. The one Ben (my brother, and another former member of Traxx) likes are in blue. The ones we're not sure of are in yellow. The ones I really like (which no one else seems to like) are in red.

The New Truth
Cruel Shoes
The Artcrime Project
Obscurati
The Goblin Fair Orchestra
Simon Magus Savior
Soundman Magus
Magus
Black March
Anarcho-Rama
Xenophonic
The Omar Ravenhurst Conspiracy
Temple of the New Flesh
Degradation Inc.
Hellish
Robiphobia
Horrorshow
Depravity Well
Cirque du Singularity
Ghost Hack
Tom Riddle
Erisian Liberation Front
Dreams of Dragonfire
Wizards of Tai-Pan
Leather & Spice
NWODHM (New Wave of Deaverview Heavy Metal)
NWODE (New Wave of Deaverview Electronica)
NWODT (New Wave of Deaverview Techno)
Electric Cigarrette
Vortex Assassins
Blue-Ass Jug Band

If any of these seem good, of if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

The "23" Movement

2010-03-15T00:50:00.000-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

So I've joined an art movement. Still a bit vague about what it's all about. The art movements I've read about and admired- the Surrealists, the Dadaists, the Situationists, not to mention the Subgenii and the Discordians- all had manifestos; tracts and screeds that explained their position, often in mutually contradictory terms, and thunderously proclaimed themselves to be better that mom and apple pie. The manifestos were half the point, and a large part of the fun.
This art movement, the "23" art movement, doesn't have much of a manifesto. Maybe modern art movements don't need a manifesto. Maybe creating your own is part of the point.
What 23 does have is a plan. We plan to transform the way the individuals and the community of Asheville (next, the World!) interact with art and artists, and vice-versa. We intend to do through a series of "mutations", public events in Asheville. There's going to be 23 of them (hence the name), starting April 1st. I'm not entirely sure how much I can say about what our first act will be (I'll find out), but it should be interesting. Loyal readers shall be updated.
When I was first invited into this little cabal, I had a burst of inspiration. For years, I've been half-unconsciously compiling a list of artist freak-outs I'd like to do, but probably would never do. I deciding to engage in some conscious-raising, and wrote down twenty three suggestions of mutation for the group to do. Some are neat, some would probably never work, and some are lifted almost verbatim from other sources. I present them to you now.

Starting a New Country (also known as a micronation)- The Artistic Empire of Asheville (or the Artistic Republic, or whatever.) Readers of this blog will know my opinion of the concept of the nation-state (I'm agin' 'em.) But if they do have a positive quality, it is the art they inspire. The flags, the seals, the anthem, the coats of arms, the constitutions, the proclamations, the treaties, all that. So let's have that, without that pesky tyranny, bloodshed, and taxes.
Starting a New Religion- Same broad concept as starting a new country. Religion in the service of Art, not the other way around.
Augmented Reality- Behind the magic door of your cell phone, we turn Asheville into a faerie world, a psychedelic, mythopoeic landscape.
Art Show Scavenger Hunt- One installation contains clues to where another one is. May incorporate geocaching.
Art Show on the Street- At a predetermined time, day, and place, art is displayed. People are just walking along, going through their day, when all of a sudden they find themselves in a (to them) spontaneous art show. After ten minutes, the show is gone, never to be seen again.
Mobile Art- Art show as parade.
Art Porn- An installation presenting Art as Pornography. Frame artistic works using the tropes, tricks, and verbiage of smut.
Art Battle (Version A)- Like a rap battle, two artists competitively create against each other, cheered on by the audience.
Art Battle (Version B)- Like professional wrestling. Staged, scripted, ridiculous story-lines, ridiculous costumes, and color commentators who get increasingly drunk as the event goes on.
Municipal Altars- Large public structures, a new one put up for every Wiccan sabbat . Usable by multiple at the same time for worship.
We run a fictional character or an abstract concept for public office.
We run a personal ad for a fictional character or abstract concept.
PR campaign promoting a taboo concept, like cannibalism.
Public awareness campaign against a fictional scourge, like jenkem or cheesing.
Art Terror- Mysterious public art & non-destructive (although still disturbing) artistic pranks, with a fictional organization claiming responsibility, promising that their acts of "poetic terror" will continue until their demands are met. Their demands are absurd and impossible.
Manufactured Craze- Asheville art beanie babies, or pokemon, or something along those lines.
Memorbilia- posters, merchandies, quotes, memes- for a movies that doesn't actually exist.
Public time capsule, constructed and buried with great fanfare, giving a completely inaccurate picture of life in 2010 Asheville.
A commitment to art that strives for immediacy .
A campaign to denounce 23.
Art Bombing- Pick a random person and artistically transform their life, Extreme Makeover style.
Art-Crime- Art show celebrating, glorifying, and maybe incorporating something illegal. Suggestions include drug use, illegal immigration, & prostitution, but maybe also theft and murder.
Art Apocalypse- We construct an art village Mad Max style. It would be fun.

Vortex Cabaret this Thursday

2010-03-13T09:19:00.000-05:00

From the Vortex Cabaret:

Vortex Cabaret 3-18-10

2010-03-13T09:08:00.000-05:00

Due to some, shall we say, temporal discontinuities (lack of sleep and suffering a cold are poor conditions for publicizing an event), there may be some confusion about what's going on this Thursday. Rest assured, this is what's happening (unless I say different later on.)

We have the finest in local comedy. We have a performance by Meg Hen. We have the music of Death of Analog. We have burlesque by Theatre de Fetiche. We have the movie Buckaroo Banzai. We have $5 all you can drink PBR. If you come to the Vortex Cabaret, you get into Scandals and the Boiler Room for free. If you bring a flier (conveniently located at all the local hot-spots) and buy an admission, you get one free. How can you pass up a deal like that?

Vortex Cabaret 3-11-10

2010-03-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

We have Katie and Cody Hughes performing comedy. We've got Queen April performing burlesque. We've got a mystery band. I'm feeling rather emotionally vulnerable right now, and it would really help my self-esteem if people would validate me monetarily by coming to this Vortex Cabaret. Plus, there might be cake! (There probably won't be cake.)

Vortex Cabaret 3-11-10

2010-03-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

The Asheville Currency Project needs Paper

2010-03-02T13:21:00.000-05:00

From the Asheville Currency Project:

The Asheville Currency Project is producing a local paper currency for the Asheville area, with a projected launch date of September 2010 (If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know this. If you're new here, welcome!) In our quest to use local resources for this local currency to help the local economy, we are looking for a source of local paper. If any one is a producer of artisan paper, knows a producer of artisan paper, wants to become a producer of artisan paper, or has any ideas on the production of the paper for the currency, please let us know.

Vortex Cabaret on March 4th

2010-02-28T23:50:00.000-05:00

Vortex Cabaret II- The Quickening. We've got a multimedia art exhibition by Lou Majors (all bugs now worked out, its going to be awesome), we've got the best in local comedy, we've got singer/dancer Sparrow Sugarfoot, and we've got music by Dark Shave &mp; Death by analog. Gonna be a hell of a show.

The Vortex Cabaret is a weekly variety show, that takes place every Thursday at 11 on the Grove (11 Grove St, Ashveville, above Scandals), at 9 PM. We feature art exhibitions, cult movies, comedians, singer/songwriters, dancers, burlesque, music, and a whole lot more.

Admission is $5. So is the all you can drink PBR. Come on down.

And _this_ is how you do a weird religion

2010-02-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

First Church of Gadget Hackenwrench

Vortex Cabaret 2-18-2010

2010-02-13T16:50:00.000-05:00

There is absolutely no reason to come to this Vortex Cabaret. None at all. I mean, sure, we have comedy by dynamite comedians Tom Scheve and Peter Smith-McDowell. They're hilarious, but don't be swayed by that. The Movie is "El Topo", directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. He's a master surrealist, and this is one of his greatest films, but don't be swayed! Stay strong.
I suppose if you have to be tempted, it should be by Queen April. A member of Theatre de Fetiche and Bootstrap Burlesque, April is one of Asheville's dark goddesses of sensuality, a nocturnal Aphrodite if you will. So there's that. And we have the band Pavane & Galliard, they're fantastic. But you have socks to organize! Stay the course!

For the sake of completeness I should mention that the Vortex Cabaret features all-you-can-drink PBR for $5. So there's that, two great comedians, a cultastic movie, a beautiful burlesque performance, and a great band. All for $5. See, no reason to go at all.

Now _this_ is a music video

2010-02-12T20:39:00.000-05:00

From Ashevegas: The Yeasayers-

Vortex Cabaret 2-11-10

2010-02-09T14:05:00.000-05:00

Vortex Cabaret, back again! We've got Mike Roach! We've got Michael Channing! We've got the Sea Whistles (thank you, Sea Whistles!) We've got Asheville's coolest variety show, for only $5! We've got $5 all-you-can-drink PBR. It'll be great. Come on down.

The Vortex Cabaret Show- A Proposal

2010-02-04T13:41:00.000-05:00

So, I have been doing the Vortex Cabaret for a while now. I'm doing this so that performance artists and artistic performers have a stage for trying new things in front of an audience- and get paid for it. Its the last bit that's tricky.
I believe in the Vortex Cabaret. I believe in the performances, and I believe in the fun people have at it. What I do not believe is that, in the current economic climate, I can sustain the Vortex Cabaret on just the price of admission. Performers need to get paid. The venue needs to get paid. It would be nice if I got paid too, come to think of it.
All of which leads me to the creation of the Vortex Cabaret Show, I television show I will (hopefully) do for URTV. It will be a weekly hour-long show, shown at 11 PM, with the individual performances reposted on youtube. This show will need sponsors. I am offering sponsorship spots, in ten second increments, at $20 per increment. I will film and create all spots at my own expense. Also, every youtube clip of the Vortex Cabaret will also include one of the spots. If you are interested, please contact me here. If you are interested in seeing my experience in television, please check out the episodes of my previous show, "Pleasure Saucer."

Vortex Cabaret 2-4-10

2010-02-01T01:12:00.000-05:00

Braving both ice and sickness, the Vortex Cabaret is back again, building on the success of last week's great show. This week, we bring the sexy, with our movie selection Forbidden Zone (read the review by the Mountain Xpress' Ken Hanke here.) We also have readings from the work of noted erotica author Anais Nin, read by my good friend Meg Hen. Top that off with the always-excellent stand-up comedians of Tomato Tuesday, and another great Asheville rock band, and it promises to be a helluva night.

Oh, and did I mention the all you can drink PBR for $5? Yep, all you can drink PBR for $5. You should drink some.

The Vortex Cabaret. Thursday night, February 4th, 9 PM. 11 Grove Street, Asheville, above Scandals. 5$ admission, 18+. Come for the PBR, stay for the art. Or vice-versa, we don't care.

1-28-10

2010-01-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

I am learning the fine art of delegation. Vortex Cabaret alum and Tomato Tuesday organizer Mike Roach has joined Team Vortex. He is our comedy enabler, providing that steady flow of incredible Asheville stand-up comedy that we jones for. And Jiivan Nelson, our erstwhile doorman and my bandmate in Traxx. will now also be our music guy, supplying the groovy troubadours that make the Vortex Cabaret oh so special. Now with less room-clearing noise!

This week's Vortex features the artwork of local artist Alyssa Oliver. We also have stand-up comedians from Tomato Tuesdays, some dramatic monologues by Trevor Hofvendahl of Firestorm cafe (He's a worker owner there, they're not sponsoring them or anything, but Firestorm is a neat place and you should check them out), and some fine Asheville band. We're still working on that.

The Vortex Cabaret will be January 28th, 9 PM, at 11 on the Grove, 11 Grove St, Asheville. Admission is $5. The drinks are yummy. Attendance is awesome.

Welcome to the Vortex Cabaret

2010-01-01T02:04:00.000-05:00

A new year, a new Vortex Cabaret. Plus a new time, and a new location! We are now weekly, every Thursday at 9 PM. We are now in the main room, 11 on the Grove. Also, we're now showing movies!
This week, we starting off with one of my favorite movies, American Astronaut. We then move on to comedians extraordinaire Mike Roach and Jack Eagan. Then prepare to be entranced by burlesque superstar Queen April. We end the night with Asheville's very own incredibly strange punk band, Traxx.
The Vortex Cabaret. Only $5. Start the year right.

Resolutions for the New Year

2009-12-31T22:38:00.000-05:00

These are not a joke. Or, if they are a joke, they're a sincere joke. There are the things I intend to do in 2010.

Weigh 250 lbs., and keep weighing 250 lbs.
Start a currency.
make a music video for the band I'm in: Traxx.
Make a movie.
Get a story published.
Work for myself.
Get a girlfriend (Is this desperate? Fuck it. I have a lot to share with the right woman.)
Dress better.
Work through level IV of Robert Anton Wilson's Prometheus Unbound.
Summon a UFO.
Prepare a kick-ass steampunk convention.
Get my staff back.
Get a new vehicle.
Visit my mom.
Get into a sport.
Get back into a martial art.
De-clutter my life.
Get crafty/DIY.
Visit somewhere that's not the East coast of the US.
Take more pictures.
Make more art.
Write more.
Blog more.
Save money.
Live more, and take more chances.

Mutate Now!

2009-11-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

Here Endeth the Pleasure Saucer

2009-11-03T17:05:00.000-05:00

The TV show, at any rate. Dealing with the grinding of trying (and often failing) to put out a new show each week has grown progressively less fun over the months, and the disaster that was this last guest is the straw that broke the dromedary. So, no more Pleasure Saucer episodes, at least for a while. The archives section shall stand as a proud testament.
But do not despair! The Pleasure Saucer website you are currently reading shall continue to go strong. I am still producing a live show at the Boiler Room (that will actually be retooled in new and exciting ways for 2010.) I plan on reinventing Pleasure Saucer as a radio show for the local internet radio stations in town. I shall be producing (soon, I hope) a series of shorter webisodes for this blog, which may be including in a new URTV weird compilation show which should launch in 2010 (think Night Flights.) Finally, in a "serious vein", I'm exploring the concept of a panel show for URTV, discussing world, national, and local affairs. I'm planning on calling it "The Asheville Discussion."
Updates to follow.

The Great Anarchy Debate, Redone, Part 2

2009-11-01T21:52:00.000-05:00

See Part 1 here.

First, here's Juan's response to me.

Note: Lemuria in blue ink, Juan in green ink

First of all, the idea of an actual traditional as-we know-it business is but one possible option in the world After the Revolution, and not necessarily the optimal one.
A traditional business requires a government to record who owns the business, and some form of a UCC to determine who has the authority to speak for the business, and under what circumstances.

Other options include mutual aid societies formed upon affinity, religious, ethnic, or vocational lines, or contracted businesses run as co-ops, or the highly motivated individual, and of course Post-Revolution World (which I will now call PRW) would probably have a combination of all these possibilities, plus some more that I can't think of.
I would like to pause here to point out that groups formed on each of these lines have existed in the past, and existed in places without a central government. Normally, this is a disaster. Religious mutual aid societies include the Taliban, al Qaeda. Ethnic mutual aid societies include the Hutu extremists that perpetrated the Rwandan genocide. There were several ethnic groups that participated -- and continue to participate -- in all manner of atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (herein referenced as DRC).

But let's go with the idea of the traditional business: Wales' Warriors. You offer your clients protection and security for themselves, their property, and their businesses. And let's say that you are a genial sociopath, with no moral compass, no empathy, but enough foresight to plan for your long-term best interest, and enough charm to not send the casual acquaintance running for the hills. The first thing that you must realize is that in PRW, you are still not truly sovereign. You still answer to a higher court: the court of public opinion. If I complain to you that my neighbor stole my lawn-mower, you could indeed go over there & bust down the door, cowboy the son of a bitch, and loot the place. And while you may have no moral qualms over what you ordered, you should have some financial ones. Violence is _expensive_.
Let me concede one point: over-the-top violence in response to any dispute is not a workable solution, and I apologize for over-simplifying my point in Round 1. Let's think this through in a little more depth.

Let's start with what kind of world exists exactly at the end of this "revolution" you're referring to. If it's a revolt of common people rising up and killing off the government, there are many fine examples of this through history. Whatever the example you want to look at, one thing is very consistent: A currently-sitting government doesn't just step aside and go quietly. There will be bloodshed. In order for the old government to be removed, a miltary sort of organization has to exist to do the dirty work, and generally right after it's over, that body declares themselves to be in charge. Did you imagine that the common man just takes to the street and the military lays down their arms and goes home, while at the same time the head of state, legislature, and courts go quietly back home? That's never happened. It never will.
In most cases where the general population rises up against their government, it's done as an insurgency that takes root. I grant you that a part of this is providing some sort of court and justice system, and some sort of security. The Taliban did this by setting up Sharia courts in areas without a strong central government, and then imposed their version of wahhabist sharia on the population by killing off any remaining government apparatus. The people went along with it because most people just want to make it through their day and don't want to get killed. People who went to the regular courts had a habit of turning up dead.
The Union of Islamic Courts in Somlia did things a little differently. There was no central government to speak of, and they were the first ones to come along and set up something resembling a court and police, and they cleared road blocks and gangs from some of the streets. The people went along with it because this was a dramatic improvement in their daily situation... even though the courts were very uneven in their form of justice, and many of the punishments meted out were quite brutal. Evidence with pictures at this link and with lots of back story available here.
These are instructive to your point about the expense of violence in a lot of ways. First, violence isn't particularly expensive if you're going through a period of military conquest. When you win a battle, you take over the local military armory and the local police station, and you've got some fresh bullets and guns. You've taken over a village, you can just march down to the local marketplace and take what food you and your soldiers need. An AK-47 costs about $20 US across most of Africa. The AK47 bullet is the most manufactured in the world. The M16 is more difficult to come by in Africa, but overall it is the most-manufactured automatic rifle in the world, and the 5.56mm NATO round is used in a large number of applications.
Many thugocracy groups keep their soldiers happy with land grants, drugs, and comfort women.
To sum up, the immediate pre-revolution world would have one of three conditions:

Strong central government -- In which case, a stronger military force must arise to remove the previous government, so violence is cheap because I control this stronger military force.

Weak central government -- In which case, a military force and a Taliban/UIC style implementation of stronger government and police forces is nessecary to eliminate the previous government. Violence is cheap here because many people are armed to the teeth to protect themselves, because the central government is not capable of protecting them

No central government -- In which case, a thugocracy can arise easily, and violence is likely very cheap, as it is in Somalia.

Violence is, unfortunately, cheap. Without a strong, central force to protect you, a thugocracy of some kind will always arise, and the most violence wins every time. History has shown this over and over.

Let's say your firm, firm A, is so big you can completely steamroll firm B. What about firms C, D,E, all the way to ZZZ? Firms would likely contract mutual defense pacts against just this sort of rogue incursion. Its just good business. They would likely make a proactive strike against rogue firms regardless of a pact, as thugs are bad for business. That would be good business as well. Of course that protection applies to you as well as your competitors.
If I can steamroll my major competition in a geographic region, why would I allow a competitor? Why wouldn't I go house-by-house and confiscate every weapon I could find? This not only makes violence cheaper for me, but makes it more difficult for opposition to arise from the population. See North Korea, China, Burma, and Cuba for examples of this strategy working for decades at a time. Thugocracy overrules anarchy, over and over.

I'm going to skip over the next paragraph, as it works better a little later...

1. The police routinely brutalize & oppress people. Routinely. Not a week goes by where there is not another news report abusing his position, quite often with homicidal results. The results? For the ones that actually get reported, and actually get disciplined (a vast minority of the actual cases), its usually suspension. Occasionally (gasp!) they'll get fired. Very rarely will it be jail time, almost never would it be comparable to what a civilian would get for the same misdeed. (My source for this is Radley Balko's blog- http://www.theagitator.com/- Good stuff.) All this a happens with the silent approval of the entire justice system. The War on Some Drugs, the War on Some Immigration, the War on Some Terror (not ours), The War on Sex- these and many other are assaults upon American citizens by their own government, not because there is any specific victim, but because someone at some point with overdeveloped morals and underdeveloped brains decided it was Wrong, and people- with the support and encouragement of the government- have been making money off it every since. Every one of the "Wars" I mentioned is a bad, unworking government solution to a government-greated problem. And while these specific problems may seem uniquely American, the same thing happens with variations in every nation-state on the planet. Anarchy leads to civil war? Government _is_ a constant, low-grade civil war against its own citizens.
This argument has three giant flaws that come immediately to mind:
First is your argument regarding oppression by police. I agree with your assertion that there are daily reports of police stepping over the line set by the law and by good sense. Police forces are human systems, and there are no human systems which are error-free. I don't agree with you at all that this is routine. There are thousands of traffic stops every day that go off without a hitch. License and registration, you were doing 72 in a 55, here's your ticket, have a nice day. There are thousands of perfectly valid arrests every day where a legitimate bad guy has done something actually illegal and gets punished for it. Pick almost any major city and you can go to the local paper's website and find a crime map. I know you can for Raleigh, NC, and Charlotte, NC. Narrow it down to just violent crimes, if you'd like, and you'll see hundreds of arrests a week that don't even rise to the level of local news -- because the police handle it professionally, quietly, and within the bounds of the law. "Routine" for police is arresting bad guys.

Do you actually know any police? Have you talked to them like they're regular people? They're really not scary oppressive monsters. Most of them want to make a better world, make the streets safe, and they're very patriotic. They see themselves as the line between peace and chaos, the protectors of the innocent, and the teeth behind the law. A lot of them are not the brightest bulb on the christmas tree, I'll grant you, but they try hard to do the right thing most of the time. Every day they put their lives on the line and make the tough choices about who to arrest and who to free, and they know they get it wrong sometimes. Ultimately, though, they're just regular dudes trying to do the right thing and make the world a better place. That is what's routine for the police. If it were, as you say, routine for them to brutalize and oppress people, you wouldn't hear any media reports about it because the press wouldn't be free to report. If the press was free to report and they're out there regularly crossing the line of good sense, you wouldn't just see a few reports a week nationwide, you'd see hundreds of reports a day.

The second massive flaw is the fallacy that because some bad things happen in a particular human system, the whole system needs replacing. Apply this elsewhere:

"A surgeon messed up and killed my grandma, therefore we shouldn't let these lunatic butchers cut people open! Down with the surgeons!"
"My lawyer didn't let me present my defense alleging that werewolves made me rob that convenience store, and now I have to spend time in a mental institution, therefore we should get rid of lawyers! Down with the lawyers!"
"A faulty part in my car's brakes caused them to fail and my leg is broken as a result. These factory workers are a danger to society! Burn down the factories!"
"That bag of spinach made me ill. Large farms are the death of us all, we must dismantle the large farms and have each individual grow all their own food! Down with the Green Revolution!

All human systems will have an error rate, and as a result, people will be harmed and a significant minority of those harmed will die. Life's tough like that. All we can hope to do is improve over time.

The third flaw is the assertion that a private force would be better for some reason. Do you really think the Thin Blue Line phenomenon wouldn't exist in a private force? I think I've gone on enough about the many ways an unchecked private police force would easily turn into a thugocracy. I'd say the famous Stanford prison experiment and similar research show that power without rules and checks will almost instantly dissolve into a horror show.
If you don't fight the bad guys, they'll win over time. If you do fight bad guys, you need the good guys to have proper checks in place, which is flatly impossible without a strong central government.

Now comes the really false part of your argument:

I've added some [...] here and there, but I think you'll find the edit quite fair.
In fact when you consider the obvious benefits of anarchy in the PRW- the emphasis on actual victim-based crimes, the elimination of one of the greatest threats to human life & liberty (governments kill, terrorize, and assault far more people than non-government criminal organizations), the benefits inherent in opening up a formerly monopolistic market to competition- the burden of proof is on you that the statist system provides such enormous benefits as to outweigh its terrible costs. [....]
2. The final stage of governmental life-cycle is the authoritarian empire. That doesn't happen because of a defect in the system- it is the point of the system. Taking different routes for different reasons, all nations drift towards becoming more and more Burma-like. Some may get there quicker than others, some may put a shinier spin on it, some may even promote policies that make the serfs self-managing (see China and to some extent the US), but that is the ideal. This happens because of the monopoly of violence, because monopolies and nation-states are dynamic- they grow. A monopoly of violence eventually leads to a monopoly of everything else.
But you're right about one thing. When it comes to governments, rape, murder, and torture ALWAYS result. They always "break down" (or fulfill their function a bit too well, whichever), and there are never enough checks and balances to stop it. Its happening right now.

This is as false as false gets, my friend. I'm sorry, but the facts don't bear out any of this nonsense. We're getting LESS free over time?
300 years ago, Europe was run by Divine Right theocrats who ruled with an iron fist and answered to nobody but themselves. As Louis XIV famously said, "L'etat? C'est moi!" (The State? That's me!) when he was told he was subject to the law. He used military force to ensure he wasn't subject to the law.
200 years ago, slavery was common in the United States, and only a small minority of the population was allowed to vote. In the 1830s, Andrew Jackson nearly sent troops to South Carolina to settle a political dispute over the power of the federal government to lay tarriffs, and then authored a genocidal policy against native americans.
100 years ago, women still couldn't vote and we had institutionalized racial barriers in this country. Europe was still ruled by a hodge-podge of despots and banana republics
50 years ago, women could vote, but non-white citizens were still second class citizens, women weren't allowed to take birth control pills and domestic violence was basically legal. "One of these days, boom, right to the moon!" was a euphamism for punching your wife in the face... and people laughed.
25 years ago, AIDS was referred to as "Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome" and the president of our country intentionally ignored it and allowed it to spread, hoping it would wipe out what he saw as undesirables. Now, the great civil rights struggle of our generation is taking place to give equal rights to this oppressed group.

I mean, really, are you joking?

I'll admit our last president stepped outside the bounds of the law and did many atrocious things, and the fact that he had a rubber-stamp congress made it worse. Even in the wars you refer to (with the exception of the relatively new war on terror), the side of more freedom is slowly winning. When the war on drugs really began -- the 1930s marijuana tax stamp act -- people routinely got life sentences for crimes that now carry a fine. Did you know the state of Arizona put two people to death for marijuana possession? When it began, the war on drugs was a racist way of rounding up (mostly) Mexicans and running them out of town. For the record, I'm a big proponent of ending the war on drugs completely and allowing people access to all types of drugs, including crack and meth, because the primary danger of drugs comes from the black market, not the drugs themselves.

In the war on sex, the war is over everywhere except Alabama Utah. The side of freedom won. There's an adult shop here in town that carries everything from the most tame to the most extreme, all sorts of DVDs and gadgets. The internet is chock-full of porn and stores where you can order any craziness you could imagine, and several things that would haunt your dreams if you saw them.

The war on immigration is on the way out. The pendulum has swung. Note that there was a fight in congress last year, and even that rather extreme congress couldn't pass anything more extreme than what we have now. I live up here near Canada, and we all joke about the border fence. Why no border fence for the canadians, eh? There are canadians in town all the time doing business and working, so why aren't we worried about them? I think we can agree it's because of skin color. That's sad, but the wheels of justice are slowly turning back to free immigration.

Enough defense, now for offense

The American Republic, from it's foundation, has been a force for freedom in the world. For 1500 years prior to our nation's rise, the world was ruled by despots. Much of the world was convinced that voting and self-governance were impossible. Even our founding fathers referred to this country as a grand experiment. The brilliance of the system is the checks on all types of power. Those checks have been strengthened and weakened over time, but the net result has been to check the power of each branch into an easy equilibrium. The result is a system that takes a really long time to get anything done unless there's a major crisis urging people on. The unfortunate reality is that we often over-step in the midst of a crisis. See Japanese Internment or PATRIOT for examples of this tendency. The good news is that once the crisis has passed and we get clearer heads, the worst over-steps are cured and a few good ideas filter through history. It's often frustrating for activist types like you and I that we can't get the change we want in a faster way, but the totality of our history shows that change is possible, and freedom works. The reason so much of the world has become more free over the past 200 years is that the despots couldn't keep up with us. We so far out-stripped the rest of the world in innovation and productivity that the other nations of the world had to free their people to catch up. More of the world can vote today than ever before, they can choose their leaders, lobby for change, speak freely, and debate ideas that are unpopular and even crazy. That's how the pendulum slowly swings over time.

Now, I'll challenge you to describe more about your ideas than "F--- tha police, man!". Here's some questions for you:

In an anarchist state, how will drinking water be handled? You can't possibly have multiple water lines running into your house, that would be monsterously inefficient. How will you know the water coming from your faucet is safe? How about sewer lines? You similarly can't have multiple sewer lines, so competition is somewhere between impossible and impractical. How will this be dealt with?

In your ideal state, how will fires be handled? How can you be sure a house won't burn down while two fire control companies are haggling with the owner over price? How will you prevent extortion while a home owner is watching his home burn?

In your ideal state, how will property ownership be handled? If there are multiple courts, who gets the final say about where the property line is? How will you be sure deeds, metes, and bounds are genuine? Right now, these are guaranteed genuine because the government keeps the originals.

While we're on the topic of government record keeping, how will you be sure who is allowed to transmit on the various bands of the electromagnetic spectrum? What would prevent my local Fox affiliate from transmitting on every frequency and drowning out their competition? What prevents Verizon from transmitting noise on all frequencies except the one they use, effectively disabling the competition?

How will securities and exchanges be handled? How do you know who owns which share of stock and which claims are legitimate if you have multiple courts with different rules? How will you get companies to publish true and correct earnings reports and disclosures? Without certainty about earnings reports, how will large enterprises raise the billions they need to operate?

And finally... how will pure research and science be funded? Where will the next Hubble Space Telescope come from? There's no profit in the Kepler planet-hunting telescope, but it will answer some of the most crucial questions at the core of being human: How many other intelligent species are there? Is there another Earth we can get to when we outgrow this one? Projects like the Large Hadron Collider have no obvious profit to them, and require the kind of capital investment that governments are best suited to make. Despite having no profit motive and a high price tag, they will show us the structure and function of our entire universe. How will this occur without government?

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to round 3.

*************************************************************************************

And here's my reply:

First of all, the idea of an actual traditional as-we know-it business is but one possible option in the world After the Revolution, and not necessarily the optimal one.
A traditional business requires a government to record who owns the business, and some form of a UCC to determine who has the authority to speak for the business, and under what circumstances.

No, it doesn't. Contracts are routinely enacted and honored without official involvement of any government. They may be informal, they may not be worked out in board rooms, but they are needed and vital nonetheless. Societal mores are more than enough to take care of informal contract enforcement now, and would become a much more powerful force in PRW. Also, the UCC was only enacted in 1952, so obviously humans were able to conduct business affairs, and conduct them well, without it. The UCC is simply an uniforming standard. Many industries develop uniform standards without the need of their imposition by the government.

Other options include mutual aid societies formed upon affinity, religious, ethnic, or vocational lines, or contracted businesses run as co-ops, or the highly motivated individual, and of course Post-Revolution World (which I will now call PRW) would probably have a combination of all these possibilities, plus some more that I can't think of.
I would like to pause here to point out that groups formed on each of these lines have existed in the past, and existed in places without a central government. Normally, this is a disaster. Religious mutual aid societies include the Taliban, al Qaeda. Ethnic mutual aid societies include the Hutu extremists that perpetrated the Rwandan genocide. There were several ethnic groups that participated -- and continue to participate -- in all manner of atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (herein referenced as DRC).

While it is true that under some technical definitions, twisted beyond all common usage, and viewed under a bad light, the Taliban and the Hutus could possibly qualify as mutual aid societies, they aren't what I was talking about. The traditional mutual aid society, as defined here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_society), bears little if any resemblance to the organizations you mentioned. Plus, all the groups you mentioned either receive support by governments, have designs of achieving the monopolistic power of governments, or already act as governments.

But let's go with the idea of the traditional business: CortezCo. You offer your clients protection and security for themselves, their property, and their businesses. And let's say that you are a genial sociopath, with no moral compass, no empathy, but enough foresight to plan for your long-term best interest, and enough charm to not send the casual acquaintance running for the hills. The first thing that you must realize is that in PRW, you are still not truly sovereign. You still answer to a higher court: the court of public opinion. If I complain to you that my neighbor stole my lawn-mower, you could indeed go over there & bust down the door, cowboy the son of a bitch, and loot the place. And while you may have no moral qualms over what you ordered, you should have some financial ones. Violence is _expensive_.
Let me concede one point: over-the-top violence in response to any dispute is not a workable solution, and I apologize for over-simplifying my point in Round 1. Let's think this through in a little more depth.

Let's start with what kind of world exists exactly at the end of this "revolution" you're referring to. If it's a revolt of common people rising up and killing off the government, there are many fine examples of this through history. Whatever the example you want to look at, one thing is very consistent: A currently-sitting government doesn't just step aside and go quietly. There will be bloodshed. In order for the old government to be removed, a miltary sort of organization has to exist to do the dirty work, and generally right after it's over, that body declares themselves to be in charge. Did you imagine that the common man just takes to the street and the military lays down their arms and goes home, while at the same time the head of state, legislature, and courts go quietly back home? That's never happened. It never will.
In most cases where the general population rises up against their government, it's done as an insurgency that takes root. I grant you that a part of this is providing some sort of court and justice system, and some sort of security. The Taliban did this by setting up Sharia courts in areas without a strong central government, and then imposed their version of wahhabist sharia on the population by killing off any remaining government apparatus. The people went along with it because most people just want to make it through their day and don't want to get killed. People who went to the regular courts had a habit of turning up dead.
The Union of Islamic Courts in Somalia did things a little differently. There was no central government to speak of, and they were the first ones to come along and set up something resembling a court and police, and they cleared road blocks and gangs from some of the streets. The people went along with it because this was a dramatic improvement in their daily situation... even though the courts were very uneven in their form of justice, and many of the punishments meted out were quite brutal. Evidence with pictures at this link and with lots of back story available here.
These are instructive to your point about the expense of violence in a lot of ways. First, violence isn't particularly expensive if you're going through a period of military conquest. When you win a battle, you take over the local military armory and the local police station, and you've got some fresh bullets and guns. You've taken over a village, you can just march down to the local marketplace and take what food you and your soldiers need. An AK-47 costs about $20 US across most of Africa. The AK47 bullet is the most manufactured in the world. The M16 is more difficult to come by in Africa, but overall it is the most-manufactured automatic rifle in the world, and the 5.56mm NATO round is used in a large number of applications.
Many thugocracy groups keep their soldiers happy with land grants, drugs, and comfort women.
To sum up, the immediate pre-revolution world would have one of three conditions:

Strong central government -- In which case, a stronger military force must arise to remove the previous government, so violence is cheap because I control this stronger military force.

Weak central government -- In which case, a military force and a Taliban/UIC style implementation of stronger government and police forces is necessary to eliminate the previous government. Violence is cheap here because many people are armed to the teeth to protect themselves, because the central government is not capable of protecting them

No central government -- In which case, a thugocracy can arise easily, and violence is likely very cheap, as it is in Somalia.

Violence is, unfortunately, cheap. Without a strong, central force to protect you, a thugocracy of some kind will always arise, and the most violence wins every time. History has shown this over and over.

What you're referring to is vanguardism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguardism), and you're right- in terms of liberating people, it doesn't work all that well. Groups that use governmental and military means to achieve their ends most often become governments and military. Which is why most anarchists nowadays propose and practice a dual power strategy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_power) and counter-economics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-economics). And yes, while it is possible to do so like the communists, the Taliban, and the Somali courts, we're talking about an Anarchist revolution, and doing so would mean that they were not anarchists. Anarchists could achieve their ends using the tactics of the Taliban about as well as the Taliban could achieve their ends by engaging in marathon games of water polo.

Anarchists are trying to achieve a society that has never existed before, at least to to the extent and scope we aim for. To achieve something that has never existed before, we must engage in tactics that have never been used before, again to this extent and scope.

Government needs the participation of their subjects to function. The political and military class are not very productive- they don't make things, they don't grow things, and they don't sell things. What they do is tax the productive class in order to sustain themselves. If people put their faith and money (or monetary equivalent) into something other than the government, it would collapse like a house of cards. And this can be achieved without widespread violence, without extortion, without theft, and without induced terror.

Let's say your firm, firm A, is so big you can completely steamroll firm B. What about firms C, D,E, all the way to ZZZ? Firms would likely contract mutual defense pacts against just this sort of rogue incursion. Its just good business. They would likely make a proactive strike against rogue firms regardless of a pact, as thugs are bad for business. That would be good business as well. Of course that protection applies to you as well as your competitors.
If I can steamroll my major competition in a geographic region, why would I allow a competitor? Why wouldn't I go house-by-house and confiscate every weapon I could find? This not only makes violence cheaper for me, but makes it more difficult for opposition to arise from the population. See North Korea, China, Burma, and Cuba for examples of this strategy working for decades at a time. Thugocracy overrules anarchy, over and over.

All the examples you mentioned are governments maintaining their own power, or being replaced by other governments. Where are the anarchists?

The police routinely brutalize & oppress people. Routinely. Not a week goes by where there is not another news report abusing his position, quite often with homicidal results. The results? For the ones that actually get reported, and actually get disciplined (a vast minority of the actual cases), its usually suspension. Occasionally (gasp!) they'll get fired. Very rarely will it be jail time, almost never would it be comparable to what a civilian would get for the same misdeed. (My source for this is Radley Balko's blog- http://www.theagitator.com/- Good stuff.) All this a happens with the silent approval of the entire justice system. The War on Some Drugs, the War on Some Immigration, the War on Some Terror (not ours), The War on Sex- these and many other are assaults upon American citizens by their own government, not because there is any specific victim, but because someone at some point with overdeveloped morals and underdeveloped brains decided it was Wrong, and people- with the support and encouragement of the government- have been making money off it every since. Every one of the "Wars" I mentioned is a bad, unworking government solution to a government-created problem. And while these specific problems may seem uniquely American, the same thing happens with variations in every nation-state on the planet. Anarchy leads to civil war? Government _is_ a constant, low-grade civil war against its own citizens.
This argument has three giant flaws that come immediately to mind:
First is your argument regarding oppression by police. I agree with your assertion that there are daily reports of police stepping over the line set by the law and by good sense. Police forces are human systems, and there are no human systems which are error-free. I don't agree with you at all that this is routine. There are thousands of traffic stops every day that go off without a hitch. License and registration, you were doing 72 in a 55, here's your ticket, have a nice day. There are thousands of perfectly valid arrests every day where a legitimate bad guy has done something actually illegal and gets punished for it. Pick almost any major city and you can go to the local paper's website and find a crime map. I know you can for Raleigh, NC, and Charlotte, NC. Narrow it down to just violent crimes, if you'd like, and you'll see hundreds of arrests a week that don't even rise to the level of local news -- because the police handle it professionally, quietly, and within the bounds of the law. "Routine" for police is arresting bad guys.

Do you actually know any police? Have you talked to them like they're regular people? They're really not scary oppressive monsters. Most of them want to make a better world, make the streets safe, and they're very patriotic. They see themselves as the line between peace and chaos, the protectors of the innocent, and the teeth behind the law. A lot of them are not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, I'll grant you, but they try hard to do the right thing most of the time. Every day they put their lives on the line and make the tough choices about who to arrest and who to free, and they know they get it wrong sometimes. Ultimately, though, they're just regular dudes trying to do the right thing and make the world a better place. That is what's routine for the police. If it were, as you say, routine for them to brutalize and oppress people, you wouldn't hear any media reports about it because the press wouldn't be free to report. If the press was free to report and they're out there regularly crossing the line of good sense, you wouldn't just see a few reports a week nationwide, you'd see hundreds of reports a day.

While it is true that that the police force is a human system, and human error is inevitable, humans quite rightly hold these systems to a standard commiserate with the amount of power they wield. I don't care that much if the third-shift guy at the Taco Bell drive-through gives me a taco instead of a chalupa. Not that big of a deal. The surgeon who mistakes a kidney for a colon? The architect who forgets that pesky load-bearing wall in the middle of the sky-scraper? Those are big deals. And that's nothing compared to the justice system. Given the frankly insane amount of power we give the police, they would need the brains of philosophers, the souls of saints, and other superhuman attributes to be worthy of it. And like you said, “A lot of them are not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, I'll grant you, but they try hard to do the right thing most of the time.”

That's just not going to cut it. Regular dudes who want to make the world a better place should not be given the powers of the police. And the reason we're in this situation is the reason anyone uses a product they know is crappy: lack of an alternative. Lack of competition.

I don't know any cops personally, but I do know law enforcement. My father is an assistant DA, and he's a good man, so I know there are good man in law enforcement. That is irrelevant, and good men do not negate a bad system. The people I do know personally are people harassed by the cops. I know people who are now widows because their husbands were LWB (living while black.) I've seen the burns left by tasers, wielded by sadistic incompetents. I know people who are afraid to walk the streets, because they fit a profile of police “interest”. I know the organizers of the local CopWatch, and I know their motivations.

And why should the media report it? That's not the story people want to hear. They want to hear about Law and Order. They want heroic Cops catching the bad guys. Anything else is....upsetting.

The second massive flaw is the fallacy that because some bad things happen in a particular human system, the whole system needs replacing. Apply this elsewhere:

"A surgeon messed up and killed my grandma, therefore we shouldn't let these lunatic butchers cut people open! Down with the surgeons!"

"My lawyer didn't let me present my defense alleging that werewolves made me rob that convenience store, and now I have to spend time in a mental institution, therefore we should get rid of lawyers! Down with the lawyers!"

"A faulty part in my car's brakes caused them to fail and my leg is broken as a result. These factory workers are a danger to society! Burn down the factories!"

"That bag of spinach made me ill. Large farms are the death of us all, we must dismantle the large farms and have each individual grow all their own food! Down with the Green Revolution!

All human systems will have an error rate, and as a result, people will be harmed and a significant minority of those harmed will die. Life's tough like that. All we can hope to do is improve over time.

How much is too much? Exactly how many deaths and assaults must a system produce before we should seriously consider chucking it? Exactly how much faith should we have in a system, and how much should that faith be tested, before we stop violently suppressing alternatives to it? Your analogy only works if you let the car industry arrest anyone who attempts to build a car in their garage, or let the factory farms send a SWAT team after the member of a neighborhood co-op garden. That is the evil of government: not that it conducts itself so badly (although it does), but that it allows no competition.

The third flaw is the assertion that a private force would be better for some reason. Do you really think the Thin Blue Line phenomenon wouldn't exist in a private force? I think I've gone on enough about the many ways an unchecked private police force would easily turn into a thugocracy. I'd say the famous Stanford prison experiment and similar research show that power without rules and checks will almost instantly dissolve into a horror show.
If you don't fight the bad guys, they'll win over time. If you do fight bad guys, you need the good guys to have proper checks in place, which is flatly impossible without a strong central government.

The Stanford experiment was of a jail. A monopolistic jail. To my knowledge, no one has conducted an experiment simulating how security would be handled in PRW, although that would be fascinating. And I think a private force would be better for the same reason I think wouldn't enjoy my shoes as much if all shoes were government produced. Competition makes things better. And fighting bad guys does mean you must put your faith and life in the hands of other bad guys, no matter how well-meaning they are. That's letting the terrorists win.

Now comes the really false part of your argument:

I've added some [...] here and there, but I think you'll find the edit quite fair.
In fact when you consider the obvious benefits of anarchy in the PRW- the emphasis on actual victim-based crimes, the elimination of one of the greatest threats to human life & liberty (governments kill, terrorize, and assault far more people than non-government criminal organizations), the benefits inherent in opening up a formerly monopolistic market to competition- the burden of proof is on you that the statist system provides such enormous benefits as to outweigh its terrible costs. [....]
2. The final stage of governmental life-cycle is the authoritarian empire. That doesn't happen because of a defect in the system- it is the point of the system. Taking different routes for different reasons, all nations drift towards becoming more and more Burma-like. Some may get there quicker than others, some may put a shinier spin on it, some may even promote policies that make the serfs self-managing (see China and to some extent the US), but that is the ideal. This happens because of the monopoly of violence, because monopolies and nation-states are dynamic- they grow. A monopoly of violence eventually leads to a monopoly of everything else.
But you're right about one thing. When it comes to governments, rape, murder, and torture ALWAYS result. They always "break down" (or fulfill their function a bit too well, whichever), and there are never enough checks and balances to stop it. Its happening right now.

This is as false as false gets, my friend. I'm sorry, but the facts don't bear out any of this nonsense. We're getting LESS free over time?
300 years ago, Europe was run by Divine Right theocrats who ruled with an iron fist and answered to nobody but themselves. As Louis XIV famously said, "L'etat? C'est moi!" (The State? That's me!) when he was told he was subject to the law. He used military force to ensure he wasn't subject to the law.
200 years ago, slavery was common in the United States, and only a small minority of the population was allowed to vote. In the 1830s, Andrew Jackson nearly sent troops to South Carolina to settle a political dispute over the power of the federal government to lay tariffs, and then authored a genocidal policy against native Americans.
100 years ago, women still couldn't vote and we had institutionalized racial barriers in this country. Europe was still ruled by a hodge-podge of despots and banana republics
50 years ago, women could vote, but non-white citizens were still second class citizens, women weren't allowed to take birth control pills and domestic violence was basically legal. "One of these days, boom, right to the moon!" was a euphemism for punching your wife in the face... and people laughed.
25 years ago, AIDS was referred to as "Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome" and the president of our country intentionally ignored it and allowed it to spread, hoping it would wipe out what he saw as undesirables. Now, the great civil rights struggle of our generation is taking place to give equal rights to this oppressed group.

I mean, really, are you joking?

I never said that life of the average citizen of the empire was worse now than it was 300 years ago. My life is better in innumerable ways compared to the life I would have lived in 1711. I said that we are now living in an empire. We maintain nearly world-wide hegemony, propped up with “friendly” regimes, financial dependence, and military intimidation. The reasons this imperial period of ours has lasted as long as it has, and has been as smooth as it has been due mainly to two factors:

The development of the free market, as a theory & practice, which has allowed Americans, the West, and many other nations to become enormously more productive with our resources and numbers than previous peoples. Simply put, we have more to give in tribute to our lords, while still living more for ourselves.
The anarchists and their anti-statist fellow travelers. Rome didn't have anarchists. Neither did Charlemagne. The advances in Labor, Women's Rights, & Civil Rights? Take a look, and you'll find a black flag waving in the background. Most of the advances you mentioned are accommodations made by the State in response.

I'll admit our last president stepped outside the bounds of the law and did many atrocious things, and the fact that he had a rubber-stamp congress made it worse.

The actions of Bush are not nearly as out of character for presidents as Americans would like to believe. His may have been a trifle gauche, a bit inexpertly done, but the actions themselves all have historical precedent, many of the set by some of our so-called “great” presidents- such as Lincoln and FDR. The continuation of many Bush polices by Obama should show how par for the course they are.
Even in the wars you refer to (with the exception of the relatively new war on terror), the side of more freedom is slowly winning. When the war on drugs really began -- the 1930s marijuana tax stamp act -- people routinely got life sentences for crimes that now carry a fine. Did you know the state of Arizona put two people to death for marijuana possession? When it began, the war on drugs was a racist way of rounding up (mostly) Mexicans and running them out of town. For the record, I'm a big proponent of ending the war on drugs completely and allowing people access to all types of drugs, including crack and meth, because the primary danger of drugs comes from the black market, not the drugs themselves.

The War on Drugs is not ending. Pot might become legal, heavily taxed, heavily regulated, because the country is going broke right now, and some politicians think they might get a taste of the sweet drug money. And after that? The racist Drug War will still be there. Doctors will still be afraid to prescribe needed pain medication due to fears they'll be arrested as pill-pushers. And all the reduced civil rights and increased police power that were justified by the Drug War will still be in place.

In the war on sex, the war is over everywhere except Alabama Utah. The side of freedom won. There's an adult shop here in town that carries everything from the most tame to the most extreme, all sorts of DVDs and gadgets. The internet is chock-full of porn and stores where you can order any craziness you could imagine, and several things that would haunt your dreams if you saw them.

People get arrested, and get major time, for possessing cartoons. Prostitution is still illegal. The battle lines may have been redrawn, but the war is still going on.

The war on immigration is on the way out. The pendulum has swung. Note that there was a fight in congress last year, and even that rather extreme congress couldn't pass anything more extreme than what we have now. I live up here near Canada, and we all joke about the border fence. Why no border fence for the Canadians, eh? There are Canadians in town all the time doing business and working, so why aren't we worried about them? I think we can agree it's because of skin color. That's sad, but the wheels of justice are slowly turning back to free immigration.

We haven't had “free immigration” in the last 150 years. I don't see it happening anytime soon.

(snip stirring rhetoric)

Now, I'll challenge you to describe more about your ideas than "F--- tha police, man!". Here's some questions for you:

And my simple answer to all these questions: I don't know. I can no more predict how free people in an anarchy would confront the thousand and one issues that make life interesting than I could have predicted a movie about sparkly vampires would be a humongous hit this year if you had asked me thirty years ago. I can think up scenarios, go over the standards guesses, but they would be just that- guesses. This is not how I think anarchy would work. This is how, in some situations, I think anarchy could work.

In an anarchist state, how will drinking water be handled? You can't possibly have multiple water lines running into your house, that would be monstrously inefficient. How will you know the water coming from your faucet is safe? How about sewer lines? You similarly can't have multiple sewer lines, so competition is somewhere between impossible and impractical. How will this be dealt with?

Existing utilities can be mutualized. The mutual-run agencies can split, change, form together, and circumstances warrant. Also, with some variations, living off the grid hydrologically should be just as feasible as living off the grid electronically, which is feasible, when done correctly.
In your ideal state, how will fires be handled? How can you be sure a house won't burn down while two fire control companies are haggling with the owner over price? How will you prevent extortion while a home owner is watching his home burn?

We've both seen “Gangs of New York”. That happened over a hundred years ago, and involved Tammany Hall, hardly the epitome of statelessness. Fire prevention is just like any other service: make provisions for it, or don't. Contract out your local fire prevention agency, either singly or as part of a group. Join a local Mutual Volunteer Fire Brigade. Live in a concrete hut. Whatever.

In your ideal state, how will property ownership be handled? If there are multiple courts, who gets the final say about where the property line is? How will you be sure deeds, metes, and bounds are genuine? Right now, these are guaranteed genuine because the government keeps the originals.

Nothing you have mentioned could not be done with private entities, who would engender as much trust, if not more, as the government.

While we're on the topic of government record keeping, how will you be sure who is allowed to transmit on the various bands of the electromagnetic spectrum? What would prevent my local Fox affiliate from transmitting on every frequency and drowning out their competition? What prevents Verizon from transmitting noise on all frequencies except the one they use, effectively disabling the competition?

The standard answer, which I'll go with here, is to treat the various layers of the spectrum as a form of property, and follow the standard rules of homestead- set up shop, and as long as you don't infringe upon the sections of spectrum already claimed, you're fine. Of course there are a million different details to work out in the details, but the central idea is still sound. This idea is expanded in Telecompetition: the free market road to the information highway By Lawrence Gasman.

How will securities and exchanges be handled? How do you know who owns which share of stock and which claims are legitimate if you have multiple courts with different rules? How will you get companies to publish true and correct earnings reports and disclosures? Without certainty about earnings reports, how will large enterprises raise the billions they need to operate?

If you don't trust your stock certificate to be legitimate, then don't buy it. If you don't trust the publications of a company, don't trade with it. Caveat Emperor. Without a government, trust will become an even more precious commodity. Without the fig leaf and shield of the SEC and corporate law, corporations will simply not be able to get up to as much skulduggery as they do now. And finally, without the propping up by the government, the age of the multi-billion dollar company will be probably be over. So long.
And finally... how will pure research and science be funded? Where will the next Hubble Space Telescope come from? There's no profit in the Kepler planet-hunting telescope, but it will answer some of the most crucial questions at the core of being human: How many other intelligent species are there? Is there another Earth we can get to when we outgrow this one? Projects like the Large Hadron Collider have no obvious profit to them, and require the kind of capital investment that governments are best suited to make. Despite having no profit motive and a high price tag, they will show us the structure and function of our entire universe. How will this occur without government?

Two words, one symbol: SETI@Home- http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/ While pure science might be hard to monetize, that doesn't mean it can't be funetized, or perhaps even fanetized. Many high price tags are due not to the inherent price of the research, but the way it is organized. Let people contribute freely on a distributed network, and amazing things will develop. Isn't Wikipedia a massive pure research project?

well, huh

2009-10-31T22:21:00.000-04:00

I had a sudden hankering to see a fan-made music video. The song was "Oh Yeah" by Yello, set to clips from that great scifi show Farscape. I didn't find it, but in the course of looking I found the original video for the song. This....was not what I expected.

This is radio you should be listening to

2009-10-31T16:45:00.000-04:00

I've been more and more into radio recently, and I'll get into that later. But before I get into that, and before I forget, I wanted to mention what I'm listening to right now: Bat Guano's SwaG! You should too.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T12:01:00.000-04:00

I won't really be celebrating tonight- I'm not in a celebratory mood- but I hope everyone else has a good time.

Current Shordurpersav: Anselme Bellegarrigue

2009-10-21T05:32:00.000-04:00

Indeed: Who says anarchy, says negation of government;
Who says negation of government says affirmation of the people;
Who says affirmation of the people, says individual liberty;
Who says individual liberty, says sovereignty of each;
Who says sovereignty of each, says equality;
Who says equality, says solidarity or fraternity;
Who says fraternity, says social order.
By contrast:
Who says government, says negation of the people;
Who says negation of the people, says affirmation of political authority;
Who says affirmation of political authority, says individual dependency;
Who says individual dependency, says class supremacy;
Who says class supremacy, says inequality;
Who says inequality, says antagonism;
Who says antagonism, says civil war;
From which it follows that who says government, says civil war.

Yes, anarchy is order, whereas government is civil war.

I always thought that Proudhon coined this phrase. Turned out no, it was Anselme Bellegarrigue. Fascinating guy.

The Great Anarchy Debate, Redone, Part 1

2009-10-21T03:26:00.000-04:00

A friend of my acquaintance, and fellow Mallet Assembly alumnus, one Mr Juan Cortez (not his real name), has offered to have "The Anarchy Debate" with me. You know the Anarchy debate: some kind soul rushes in to assure the misguided anarchist that this dangerous silliness could not possibly work, and there's another argument about first principles. This happens all the time, and it can tiresome. However, Juan is an intelligent fellow, so this should be an eloquent debate (at the time of this writing, it is still ongoing), and I needed a typical example of this sort of debate on my site anyway, if only to have something to point in case it comes up again.
The structure of the debate is as follows: Juan writes me a post with his objections to anarchy, I respond to that, he responds to the response, and so on and so forth. The only editing that will be done it changing his details to obscure his identity (He evidently now works in a field where political radical opinions can be damaging to his career), and to enrich the content of the text with links and suchlike. Enjoy.

His first salvo:

Freedom is impossible without government. The Rothbardian idea of private sector police, soldiers, and courts is downright silly. It would lead directly to endless civil war, and here's why: If I am president of a private government system, and you're one of my subscribers, what motivation do I have to obey any concept of moral behavior?

If you were my subscriber and you allege someone had wronged you, and he is unprotected by a private army, I just go over and shoot the place up, rob what valuables I can, and give you some cut of his stuff. You could be in one of my commercials: "John's Security got justice for me! And this plasma TV to boot!"

You might say the other guy could well be one of my subscribers. In this case, I simply take a bribe. No need for evidence, whoever pays me more lives, the other guy dies and I take all his stuff anyway.

You might say the other guy could be a subscriber to another private force. In this case, I would probably do a risk-reward analysis. If it looks like I can get away with going on a quick smash-and-grab assassination mission and I feel it's unlikely the other force could beat my army, I might well do that. In fact, I would probably be particularly gruesome about it to scare the opposing force's subscribers into leaving in droves. Paint "Joe's Security CAN'T PROTECT YOU" in blood on his front door, and rape his wife on the front lawn, something awful like that. This would likely lead to one of the other forces attacking mine, which is the predicted never-ending civil war.

On the other hand, if the other force seems too large and powerful to take on, I might just tell you it's too bad/so sad, but you got fucked and there's not much we can do about it. If you try to unsubscribe and leave me, though, you will definitely be used as an example, see above.

If a bunch of people got fed up and put together their own force, thus trying to leave me in droves, we again have endless civil war.

None of these things happen in a real government because:
1. A legitimate government has independent checking bodies. If the local police get out of hand, the state courts and state police come arrest a few people, install new people, problem solved. If the legislature makes law that's unconstitutional, the courts check them. If the courts get out of hand, the legislature and executive remove some judges and pack the bench with more reasonable sorts of people... This doesn't happen much because of the confirmation process.

2. The monopoly of force ensures that none of these checking bodies gets unreasonably powerful. Congress doesn't have it's own armed forces. The armed forces WILL NOT make war on their own people (ask a soldier). The local police will never be powerful enough to take on the feds.

Freedom without a central force monopoly that has proper checks built in is a contradictory idea, because if this central force does not exist or does not have checks, I can just be a dick and murder/rob/rape my way to power.

For further reference, see Somalia from 1992-present, the Srbrenica Massacre, modern Zimbabwe, Burma/Myanmar, North Korea, and the African World War aka Congolese War of 1992-2005, the Liberian Civil War and RUF/Charles Taylor debacle. When government breaks down or does not have proper checks built in, chaos, rape, murder, and torture ALWAYS result.

My response:

First of all, the idea of an actual traditional as-we know-it business is but one possible option in the world After the Revolution, and not necessarily the optimal one. Other options include mutual aid societies formed upon affinity, religious, ethnic, or vocational lines, or contracted businesses run as co-ops, or the highly motivated individual, and of course Post-Revolution World (which I will now call PRW) would probably have a combination of all these possibilities, plus some more that I can't think of.
But let's go with the idea of the traditional business: CortezCo. You offer your clients protection and security for themselves, their property, and their businesses. And let's say that you are a genial sociopath, with no moral compass, no empathy, but enough foresight to plan for your long-term best interest, and enough charm to not send the casual acquaintance running for the hills.
The first thing that you must realize is that in PRW, you are still not truly sovereign. You still answer to a higher court: the court of public opinion. If I complain to you that my neighbor stole my lawn-mower, you could indeed go over there & bust down the door, cowboy the son of a bitch, and loot the place. And while you may have no moral qualms over what you ordered, you should have some financial ones. Violence is _expensive_.
For one thing, you'll probably lose me as a client. Whatever short-term monetary gain I might enjoy would be more than offset by the hit to my reputation. I still have to live in this town/region/whatever, and even if I'm a sociopath myself I still have my public persona, and nice people you do business with don't order hits on their neighbors. Thus, I could not be associated with anything that distasteful. And of course that's operating on the "I'm a sociopath too" principle. The moral horror of most normal people would cause them to quit you as well.
That's assuming the target is a local. If he's a visitor? That's even worse. Then you have the tourism industry and their forces after you, and that is something you do not want (trust me, I live in Asheville- tourism here is scary enough even without the PRW.)
For another thing, violence would have high operational costs. There's the hit team, their equipment, logistics, backup, intel, etc., etc.,- compared with one part-time process server with a declaration of arbitration, which is the boring, safe, normal, inexpensive way of handling this sort of thing. If the target blows that off, then you might escalate (incrementally), but that would have the benefit of societal approval.
The "Violence is Expensive" principle applies to dealing with another security agency, but even more so. You might, with great difficultly, grow a large enough business that would allow you to ignore any one competitor, but without the government subsidies and protection that corporations currently enjoy, that is arguably impossible. But let's say you do it. Let's say your firm, firm A, is so big you can completely steamroll firm B. What about firms C, D,E, all the way to ZZZ? Firms would likely contract mutual defense pacts against just this sort of rogue incursion. Its just good business. They would likely make a proactive strike against rogue firms regardless of a pact, as thugs are bad for business. That would be good business as well. Of course that protection applies to you as well as your competitors.

I'm not saying the above is inevitable. Change happens, shit happens, and any system is breakable. But it is not a foregone conclusion that an anarchistic system would self-destruct, or that a statist system would perform so much better. In fact when you consider the obvious benefits of anarchy in the PRW- the emphasis on actual victim-based crimes, the elimination of one of the greatest threats to human life & liberty (governments kill, terrorize, and assault far more people than non-government criminal organizations), the benefits inherent in opening up a formerly monopolistic market to competition- the burden of proof is on you that the statist system provides such enormous benefits as to outweigh its terrible costs. Let's examine those costs and benefits, shall we?

1. The police routinely brutalize & oppress people. Routinely. Not a week goes by where there is not another news report abusing his position, quite often with homicidal results. The results? For the ones that actually get reported, and actually get disciplined (a vast minority of the actual cases), its usually suspension. Occasionally (gasp!) they'll get fired. Very rarely will it be jail time, almost never would it be comparable to what a civilian would get for the same misdeed.
(My source for this is Radley Balko's blog- http://www.theagitator.com/- Good stuff.) All this a happens with the silent approval of the entire justice system.
The War on Some Drugs, the War on Some Immigration, the War on Some Terror (not ours), The War on Sex- these and many other are assaults upon American citizens by their own government, not because there is any specific victim, but because someone at some point with overdeveloped morals and underdeveloped brains decided it was Wrong, and people- with the support and encouragement of the government- have been making money off it every since. Every one of the "Wars" I mentioned is a bad, unworking government solution to a government-greated problem. And while these specific problems may seem uniquely American, the same thing happens with variations in every nation-state on the planet. Anarchy leads to civil war? Government _is_ a constant, low-grade civil war against its own citizens .
2. The final stage of governmental life-cycle is the authoritarian empire. That doesn't happen because of a defect in the system- it is the point of the system. Taking different routes for different reasons, all nations drift towards becoming more and more Burma-like. Some may get there quicker than others, some may put a shinier spin on it, some may even promote policies that make the serfs self-managing (see China and to some extent the US), but that is the ideal. This happens because of the monopoly of violence, because monopolies and nation-states are dynamic- they grow. A monopoly of violence eventually leads to a monopoly of everything else.
Concerning the examples you gave, with the exception of Somalia (that's a special case), they are all either very well-developed governments, in the sense that there is a lot of them, or they are multiple would-be governments vying for control. They may have been somewhat incompetent in their execution, but that is a difference in degree, not in kind. All of them wanted a government. Nary an anarchist in the bunch. If you want an example of anarchists actually in charge, try pre-WWII Spain, and the CNT. They did pretty good, and would have continued doing pretty good, if they hadn't lost their nerve, and sided with the communists against the fascists.
But you're right about one thing. When it comes to governments, rape, murder, and torture ALWAYS result. They always "break down" (or fulfill their function a bit too well, whichever), and there are never enough checks and balances to stop it. Its happening right now.

Salome's Last Dance

2009-10-16T22:15:00.000-04:00

Oscar Wilde FTW. Decadent surrealism FTW. Free movies on demand especially FTW.

See the full movie here.

I'm not Limbaugh

2009-10-15T22:00:00.001-04:00

In case there was any doubt. Yes, I'm fat. Yes, on most governmental papers, I would be listed as "white". Yes, I don't like the current administration. But no, I'm not Rush Limbaugh.

I don't even like football.

Pleasure Saucer Episode 34: ABSFest Part 3

2009-09-30T00:32:00.000-04:00

Pleasure Saucer Episode 33: ABSfest Part 2

2009-09-22T23:31:00.000-04:00

Pleasure Saucer Episode 32: ABSFest Part 1

2009-09-22T22:23:00.000-04:00

You have no idea how much of a slog it was to get all this edited, chopped, and here. Enjoy.

Asheville has Chaotes! Huzzah!

2009-09-18T01:08:00.001-04:00

I went to a meeting of chaos magicians tonight. I've been fascinated with Chaos Magick for, oh, over ten years now. I blame this on Dungeons & Dragons. General occultism helped, Hakim Bey helped, the notion that any sufficiently analyzed magick is indistinguishable from science helped, but I fell in love with the idea when I read about Wild Magic in a D&D supplement. Also, its possible to trace my love of mythologies, both historical and fictional, to the AD&D 1st ed. supplement, Deities & Demigods.
Anyway, yes, there are chaos magicians in Asheville. Here are some interesting facts about Asheville chaos magicians:

Chaos magicians regularly eat at Cici's Pizza. While, at first blush, this may not seem like a particuarly chaosy place to eat, the Jolie Rogue is dead and gone, and you couldn't have dinner there anyway. So that leaves Cici's.
There are organizations, societies, and club-type things within the Chaos Magick stratum. One person at the meeting, another newcomer like myself, is a member of one such organization: the IOT.
A lot of chaos magicians love DragonCon. This is less an interesting fact, and more a confirmation of the nature of reality.
"....and then Cthulhu comes" makes a delightful rejoinder to any statement.
If I have anything to say about it, Asheville is going to get a lot more magickal in 2010.

Some Thoughts on Forgiveness

2009-09-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

Forgiveness is ultimately, and in a non-pejorative sense, a selfish act. You do it for yourself, not the object of your forgiveness. The hate, the resentment, the bitterness you feel- that is a stone on your own heart, that you remove with the forgiveness. As for atonement, as for absolution- you can't give these things, no matter how much you forgive. The only person who can remove the guilt, the shame, the sorrow is you. You may free yourself by forgiving others, but only partly. To be truly free you, and only you, must also forgive yourself.
The other party doesn't have to admit they were wrong, or at fault, for you to forgive them. What they feel is irrelevant in this context- this is about your emotional state. Neither do they have to know that you forgive them. You don't need their permission.
Forgiving does not mean forgetting. Forgetting does not mean a vendetta. It just means you now have more information on how the world works. Adapt to it. Deal with it. And move forward.

Comment to Asheville about URTV

2009-09-07T21:52:00.001-04:00

So there's yet another mention of URTV in the Mountain Xpress (this one fairly innocuous) and another comment by Davyne Dial. Usually, I try to avoid engaging in these things. I try to take the high road. But I just felt compelled to write a response. I think its fairly eloquent, and I haven't posted anything here for far too long, so here is a reprint of my comment.

URTV was set up rather badly (please note that no one who set up URTV is involved with it currently.) If URTV had been set up like other, successful & shining examples of public access television, such as the stations in NYC, or (yes) Austin, there would be much less opportunity for government interference, and the PEG fees would not have to go through city council the way they do now, to be threatened every time some grandstanding or weak-willed city council member decides to have a hissy-fit. But URTV is set up the way it is, and we have to deal with it.
Public Access is a strange beast. It is not government controlled (to call it government-funded requires a rather tortured definition of that phrase.) It is not sponsored controlled. It is not controlled by public opinion. The only people who get to control what goes on the air are the individual producers. That is what the “public” part means- any member of the public, any Joe or Jane Schmoe, can come in off the street, and get whatever they want off their chests. It is unique in all the forums of Asheville in having no agenda, and no censoring other than when you can show things (not if you can show things) and a vague admonition to not scare the horses too badly. Given the limitations of an increasingly litigious & thin-skinned America, URTV is as close of a champion that the 1st Amendment (remember that one?) is going to get in Asheville.
Are the results often amateurish? Yes. Are the results boring to most, offensive to some? Yes. But that is precisely the reason URTV is so important. People of Asheville, you have the right to be amateurish. No one has the right to shut you up if don’t use fancy words, or talk with the right accent. People of Asheville, you have the right to be boring. No one has the right to shut you up if they don’t find your information and passion relevant to their narrow little lives. And finally, people of Asheville, you have the right to be offensive. No one has the right to shut you up if they think what you’re saying is subversive, immoral, socialistic, capitalistic, politically incorrect, or any other form of doubleplus crimethink. And as long as cable companies and other telecoms cut monopoly deals with State and local governments, you have the right to be all that on television.
Asheville, what you must understand about all the shrill little snipers attacking URTV (who have only grown increasingly shrill this last year) is that they want to take all this away. Some want to make a quick buck by commercializing it, making URTV a tool for the rich and timid, like virtually the rest of television is. Some want to make it “decent”; The occasional objectionable image or sound you can turn off, or petty little censors blowing their noses on the Bill of Rights- which is the greater indecency? Finally, others want to make it “responsible”- as in making it the responsibility of the government, and government controlled. From there its a quick jump to funding getting cut every time the police chief needs a new nameplate on his desk, more censor boards, plus a move to becoming more “socially responsible”, which means the suppression of dissent.
Asheville, they are not here to save URTV, they are here to destroy it, to rip out its heart, each for their own selfish & short-sighted motives. Ultimately, you, the people of Asheville, are the only ones who can prevent that. Please, for the sake of your town, for the sake of the 1st Amendment, do not let them destroy URTV.

Episode 31: Pin-ups for Paws

2009-08-07T00:16:00.000-04:00

Footage from a fundraiser for the local Humane Society, sponsored by and starring Bootstraps Burlesque.

Rally for Jenny Bowen, presented by the Vortex Cabaret

2009-08-01T17:16:00.000-04:00

(Reposted from BlogAsheville)

Jenny Bowen is one of the reasons Asheville is Asheville. Creator of the Faces of Asheville project, and the Asheville ABC series, she is now running for City Council. She has the kind of voice and vision we need in Asheville.
The Vortex Cabaret is proud to present a special edition of our show as a rally & fundraiser for the Jenny Bowen Campaign. It will be held at Eleven on Grove Street. Admission is $7. The doors open at 9 PM for a meet-and-greet with the candidate, with the main show starting at 10 PM. Please come out to support a much-needed progressive voice in Asheville city politics.

Carl Mumpower hates women and wants them to be murdered

2009-07-31T20:47:00.001-04:00

At least, that is the only conclusion I can draw from his recent activities. Carl Mumpower, Asheville City Council member and douchebag, has expanded from his crusade against the evils of undocumented human being, and the evils of the Demon Weed known as reefer (and other assorted fun items.) He has now gone for the trifecta of social authoritarianism, and set his sights on prostitution in Asheville. From Ashevegas:

Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower has been pumping out press releases right and left this week about his displeasure with all the escort services doing business in Asheville. Mumpower questions why there seems to be so much activity in this industry, recently writing about prostitutes strolling near Asheville Middle School over on South French Broad Avenue.

You should read the full piece.

Its quite simple. Laws against prostitution do not stop prostitution. They only endanger prostitutes. When prostitution is illegal, it makes it that much easier for prostitutes to be assaulted, raped, and yes, murdered. Many fine organizations, like Bound, Not Gagged, have been saying so loudly and eloquently for years. And yet, dicks like Mumpower continue to champion prohibition. This leads me back to my original thesis; Carl Mumpower wants women to be murdered.
You want to get prostitutes off the streets? Fine, legalize prostitution so they can open a decent storefront like any other legitimate business. Want to protect women? Fine, legalize prostitution so that they can have the benefit of legal protection. Want to stop the objectification of women and the deadly sexism in society? Fine, legalize prostitution so that women (and men) are treated like adult human individuals who can decide for themselves what to do, who to do it with, and how much to charge for it. Want to stamp out the immorality of prostitution? Fuck off and die.
You know, it occurs to me that I may have been too hard on Carl "Goat*@&#er" Mumpower. I'm sure he doesn't want all women to get murdered. Only some of them.
There.
Is that better?

Is it wrong I'm kinda mad I didn't get featured in this?

2009-07-31T20:37:00.000-04:00

From the latest Asheville Disclaimer:

Stanford pagans know how to party

2009-07-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

A Year Among the Naked, the Pagan and the Vegan
By Atticus Lee

"....the revolting brilliance of the human experience." is a great turn of phrase.

What is the Temple of the New Flesh?

2009-07-22T02:32:00.000-04:00

We are the children of the Kali Yuga, the spawn of this strange aeon. With us, Death may die. We have our feet on the ground, and our finger on the pulse of the world, and we know the truth: there is no enemy anywhere, and you are free.

Old sorcerers, feeble and afraid, have tried to chain us with shackles of Law, of Nation, of Church, of Science, Of Guilt, Of Decency. But we are wise to their ways, and have slipped our bonds. In vain they deny our power, in vain they seek to convince us that we are slaves to fate and providence. But we are wise to their ways, and we say: We are not victims. We are not subjects. We are not pawns. We happen to other people.

There is no world but the World, and it is stranger than you know. Everything is real, and nothing is forbidden. In this crucible we shall recast our bodies, our lives, our destinies, into the works of art and play we know them to be.

Chaos lives, in our hearts and in the soul of every grain of sand and the core of every star. We dance to the beat of our origin, and find it is our true step. We ride the dragon Tiamat, and she returns the favor. We take the offered apple, and give it to Eris, the fairest one of all. We are in the Way.

The Temple of the New Flesh is the answer to the question you have not asked yet. It is the grand conspiracy behind your daydreams and erotic fantasies. Its lineage can be traced back farther than humanity, and it will outlast the cockroaches. You may already be a member.

Ada & Charles Fight Crime- Or- Women Smoking Pipes are Hot

2009-07-21T04:13:00.000-04:00

So, the People over at Io9 have turned me on to a new webcomic:

2D Goggles

I dig it. I really do. A lot. I just have a small problem with making Ada Lovelace the patron heroine of steampunk, as seems the trend.
Don't get me wrong, the person, the character, of Ada Lovelace, is great. Its iconic. Her brilliance, her heritage, her obsessions- they all combine to make a truly inspirational figure. But it is a figure that is properly claimed by the cyberpunks. It is a figure that did historically exist.
But what most people, even people who know who Ada Lovelace was, do not know is that she had a half sister by the name of Allegra Byron.
Allegra died when she was five. She is the unrealized possibility, the might-have-been. She is the road not traveled chosen, who could have made Europe and the World mad, bad, and wonderful to know. She is my candidate for the quintessential steampunk heroine.
I intend to develop these ideas further (and perhaps make her the protagonist of a steampunk story) at a time when it is not 4:37 frickin' AM. Good night.

Anti-Capitalist, Pro-Free Market

2009-07-19T02:56:00.000-04:00

Remember, just because they say capitalism is the free market, doesn't make it so. Just because they say you're free, doesn't make it so.
Monopoly Capitalism by Kevin Carson.

This is me entering politics Shudder

2009-07-14T06:08:00.000-04:00

So, I'm once again involved in a group starting a local currency for the Asheville area. This time, the group is taking a very long-term, so going approach, making sure we have all our based covered, T's crossed, and I's dotted before we even begin to think about designing the currency. This is completely opposite from how I have gone about these things in the past, so I approve.
Municipal elections are coming up in Asheville, and I happen to know some of the candidates. Given the inevitably political nature of local currencies, I written the first draft of a position paper to be handed out to the candidates. While the thought of this sticks somewhat in my anarchist craw, its going to come up in the local public scene sooner or later, and I'd to get a handle on it now before we get handled later on. Please note that this is indeed a first draft. I'll post the finished product when its finished.

Asheville Currency Project Position Paper

Dear Candidate:
We are a group working on establishing a community currency for the Buncombe County area. We believe that a community currency is essential to the future economic health and prosperity of this region. In order to help you contribute to this health and prosperity, we present the following positions that we urge you to adopt as part of your current political platform.

The City and County should accept all community currencies-that have met established standards for transparency, professionalism, and robustness,- as payment for all fees, debts, and other payments owed to the City and County by the residents of Asheville and Buncombe County.
The establishment of a community currency is essential to the economic health of the Buncombe County area, especially given the current national economic situation. With this in mind, either the City of Asheville or Buncombe County should, either through a direct grant or through requesting the appropriate federal funds, such as an Americorp grant, help fund the start-up and establishment of a community currency.
Due to the unscrupulous and uninformed actions and opinions of certain State and Federal officials, community currencies are in a constant danger of being declared illegal. While it turns out they are in fact legal, the resulting legal difficulties and frustrations drain vital time and resources from the community currency. Therefore, we request that that City and County legal resources make themselves aware of the true laws and regulations governing community currencies, and that they vigorously defend the legal rights of their citizens from improper investigation and harrassment from State and Federal officials.
To reiterate, the establishment of a community currency is essential to the economic health of the Buncombe County area. Thus we ask the City of Asheville to request that the Asheville Chamber of Commerce come on board with the community currency concept, and offer their resources and participation in order to ensure its success.

Rainbow Cake

2009-07-12T02:18:00.000-04:00

Rainbow Cake.

By my brother, Ted. I don't know why.

New Vortex Cabaret!

2009-07-08T02:12:00.000-04:00

A new Vortex Cabaret! Woo hoo! A heavily promoted one, as evidenced by this being posted a week before the event (well, heavily promoted by my standards.) It will feature the comedy rantings of Sister Discordia, music by Forrest, puppetry by Madison, and burlesque by Theatre de Fetiche. Gonna be a good show.
The Vortex Cabaret is a series of live variety shows I produce at the Boiler Room, on 11 Grove Street, every other Wednesday. This next one is scheduled for July 15th. They are, if I may toot my own horn, some of the best shows I've seen in Asheville, or really anywhere. Doors open at 9 PM. Come early and drink often.

**UPDATE**
We also have Elisa Faires &Co. back on as special guest performers for this Cabaret. Elisa's "Dada Beach" one on of the highlights of the performances last month.

Pleasure Saucer Media

Zines I'd Like to Start in 2012

Related articles

Goals for 2012

Related articles

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Konrath's Resolutions for Writers 2012

Pretentious Title: How I Went From Writing 2,000 Words a Day to 10,000 Words a Day

Welcome guest blogger: Author, L. Neil Smith “Fiction is Mightier Than Fact”Silver Circle Underground | Silver Circle Underground

Dean Wesley Smith » The New World of Publishing: There Are Suckers Born Every Minute and They Are Writers

Unusual Words

Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law

Guns & Magic » The Indie Alternative Part 1

Download Six Free Writing eBooks: NaNoWriMo Tip #7 - GalleyCat

Turkey City Lexicon – A Primer for SF Workshops

Why Science Fiction Writers are Like Porn Stars

September Goals

Related articles

Free Flash Fiction Time!

The Life Cycle Of A Novel

New Story: "Burn Sky"

Welcome to Pleasure Saucer Press

Call for Performers: Burlesque Dancers, Musicians, Vaudeville & Sideshow Performers, and the Adventurous are Invited to Audition

Propaganda Lalaland: Buenos Aires in Anarchy?

Two Pieces of Chaotic Knowledge

Are You Ready for the Revolution? - Infoshop News

Resolutions for the Year that Goes Up To Eleven

Related articles

The Julian Assange Welcome Pledge

A Humble Suggestion

Marchers will show solidarity with the anarchists known as the Asheville 11 on Dec. 1 - Ashvegas - Ashvegas

More housecleaning

Black Plants and Twilight Zones: Scientific American

November 18 Declared 'Have Sex With a Guy With a Mustache' Day - Asylum.com

Drew Taylor Space Art: Gliese 581 g

'Earth-like' planet may not exist - World News, 62336

Government harassing and intimidating Bradley Manning supporters - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

Video: Climate Model Suggests Where the Aliens Are | Wired Science | Wired.com

Declaration of Sovereignty

Related articles

Triple Caliphate of Zarmina

Related articles

ClubOrlov: A Specter Is Haunting America

'Dispatches from Planet Z' will kick your ass

Related articles

5 Reasons The Future Will Be Ruled By B.S. | Cracked.com

Housecleaning

And now, a transition

Free-Market Alternatives to the State

t r u t h o u t | The Lonely, Dangerous Fight Against Christian Supremacists Inside the Armed Forces

LF Special Report: Top Ten Cybernetic Upgrades Everyone Will Want

I Should Explain What's Happening

Related articles by Zemanta

Vortex Cabaret 5-6-10

Some Thoughts on the Recent Unpleasantness

Related articles by Zemanta

Asheville Solidarity Economics

Related articles by Zemanta

Carnival of the Stark Fist, 4-11-10

Vortex Cabaret

Carnival of the Stark Fist- Summertime stylin'

Related articles by Zemanta

I plan to be far too busy in April.

Related articles by Zemanta

Vortex Cabaret 4-1-10

Carnival of the Stark Fist- the Resurrection

Related articles by Zemanta

RIP Robert Culp

Related articles by Zemanta

Something to do

Vortex Cabaret 3-25-10

New Band Names

The "23" Movement

Related articles by Zemanta

Vortex Cabaret this Thursday

Vortex Cabaret 3-18-10

Related articles by Zemanta

Vortex Cabaret 3-11-10

Vortex Cabaret 3-11-10

The Asheville Currency Project needs Paper

Vortex Cabaret on March 4th

This is me entering politics Shudder