lewrockwell--2020-09-01--America’s Private Militias of the 19th Century

Since at least as early as the mid-1990s , the term “ militia ” has been increasingly used by journalists and scholars on the left in connection with alleged “ right-wing extremists.
” Over time , the term “ militia ” has been used to describe nearly any group of nonleftist armed men , and has been generally used in close connection with terms like “ extremism , ” “ violence , ” and “ vigilante.
” We have been reminded of this in recent years during riots in places like Ferguson , Missouri ( in 2014 ) , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In both cases , armed volunteers attempted to assist private sector business owners with protecting their property from looters and rioters .
And in both cases , the volunteers were described with terms such as : “ violent , ” “ militia , ” “ extreme , ” and “ white vigilante.
” Historically in the United States , however , the term “ militia ” had entirely different connotations .
Throughout much of the nineteenth century , militias were considered to be common institutions central to civic and community life .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ festivals and celebrations , and they functioned in some ways as fraternal orders function today .
Right-Wing Populism in ... Lyons , Matthew N. Best Price : $ 13.62 Buy New $ 27.00 Although some critics of the militia idea have attempted to claim militias existed primarily to suppress slave rebellions , the fact is militias were common and widespread in Northern states where they had no role whatsoever in maintaining the institution of slavery .
In fact , militias often served an important role in providing opportunities and community cohesion for new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nineteenth Century What ’ s more , many militias were independent of a centralized state militia system and functioned largely as private entities .
They elected their own officers , were self-funded , and trained on their own schedules .
Although they were ostensibly commanded by the state governors , this system of functionally private militias became an established part of daily life for many Americans .
These were local volunteer militias with names like the “ Richardson Light Guard , ” the “ Detroit Light Guard , ” or the “ Asmonean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ composed of gun owners who were expected to assist in keeping law and order within the cities and towns of the United States .
They were separate from the so-called common militias , which developed in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries , and which in many cases were staffed with conscripts , were funded with tax dollars , and were commanded by an established state bureaucracy .
But by the Jacksonian period , new volunteer militias began to arise .
As noted by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel , the United States by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the privately organized volunteer militia .
The number of volunteer units had been expanding steadily since the American Revolution , but after the war of 1812 , it exploded .
Three hundred sprang up in California alone between 1849 and 1856.
” These groups were , in the words of historian Marcus Cunliffe , “ volunteer companies existing independently of the statewide system of militia , and they held themselves aloof from the common mass .
They provided their own uniforms.
” They also elected their own officers , did their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and sought out for themselves a secure position within the communities where members lived .
In earlier decades , especially the 1830s and 1840s , these groups tended to be “ elite ” in the sense that they attracted upper middle– and upper-class members of the community .
This was in many cases because of the cost of funding these volunteer militias .
The Richardson Light G ... Barry M. Stentiford Best Price : $ 15.74 Buy New $ 29.95 As a member of the Detroit Light Guard remembered , “ at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the State .
They had to pay for all they got , uniforms and all.
” But by the 1850s , firearms and uniforms were becoming more affordable to the middle and working classes .
This brought in many new members from outside the local elite circles of established families .
Moreover , some militias were able to solicit funding from wealthy members of the community who acted as patrons .
The case of the Richardson Light Guard ( RLG ) is instructive : The RLG came into being in South Reading , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a perceived shortage of militiamen in the years following the Mexican War .
At the time , all that was necessary for the militia to be regarded as legally sanctions was for the group to “ petition the governor ” for what amounted to a nod of approval .
This was granted .
But at that point , the group still lacked funding .
Although members paid dues , historian Barry Stentiford notes that “ Dues were not enough [ to ] cover the expenses of the fledgling company , and committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to carry out its business.
” Members came up with a plan to offer “ honorary memberships ” to wealthy members of the community .
The largest donor in this scheme was a man named Richardson , after whom the militia was soon named .
Funding from prominent community members also added legitimacy to the group and ensured it would continue to be regarded as a community-sanctioned group of armed men .
Although the RLG enjoyed legal sanction , it was essentially a private organization , and Stentiford notes , “ At its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members , and to prominent residents of the town of South Reading .
The town of South Reading , the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , and the federal government occupied a diminishing hierarchy of influence.
” In other words , while everyone admitted local , state , and federal officials enjoyed some form of control of the militia , this authority was tentative at best .
Massachusetts wasn ’ t the only place were militias were privately funded and privately controlled .
When Iowa became a US territory in 1838 , for example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formed .
On the other hand : Emancipating Slaves , E ... Jeffrey Rogers Hummel Best Price : $ 18.79 Buy New $ 18.83 Indeed , this sort of local—and even private ownership—was an increasingly common method of organizing militias by midcentury .
Hummel concludes that “ Because many volunteer units were privately organized , recruited , and equipped , the militia became a partially privatized system as well.
” Because of their local nature , many militias reflected local character as well—and access was hardly limited to national ethnic majorities .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominate many volunteer militias , with Irish , Scottish , and German militias becoming especially common .
The Scottish militiamen wore kilts as part of their parade uniforms .
The Italians created a “ Guardia Nazionale Italiana.
” Robert Ernst notes that the “ significance of the immigrant military companies is evident in the fact that in 1853 , more than 4,000 of the 6,000 uniformed militia in New York City were of foreign birth.
” Nor were militia groups limited to Christians .
Jack D. Foner recounts in the American Jewish Archives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class , their names changed as well .
Militias began to refer to themselves with names that might be used for sports teams today , including terms like “ Invincibles , ” “ Avengers , ” and “ Snake Hunters.
” Dress uniforms were often extravagant and modeled on Napoleon ’ s troops earlier in the century .
These groups were even known to impress foreigners .
As one Englishman remarked : “ They marched in sections , with a splendid band at their head and…it would be impossible to find a more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These volunteer militias were attractive to potential members , because these groups served many social functions as well .
As noted by historian Briton Cooper Busch , “ in peacetime , all [ volunteer militias ] helped their communities celebrate festivals , holidays , and funerals with marches , balls , and banquets , helping out in emergencies , and often building an esprit de corps which established a basis for effective wartime service and even elite reputations.
” In many cases , membership in a local militia provided opportunities for social advancement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for individual families to have long associations with these institutions.
” For newcomers to any community , whether or not of foreign origin , “ the militia company provided a means for newer residents to embed themselves into the fabric of the community.
” Immigrant Life in New ... Ernst , Immigrant life ... Best Price : $ 11.98 Buy New $ 13.86 The volunteer militias played a similar role to that of the volunteer fire brigades of this period , which in many communities came to be dominated by immigrant groups and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social and economic lives of newcomers .
Needless to say , this model of American militias is long gone from the imagination of nearly all Americans .
Modern-day journalists and scholars have been hard at work attempting to connect militias , past and present , either to slavery or to fringe groups and vigilantism .
Moreover , many Americans now regard the idea of privately controlled bands of armed men with trepidation and fear .
As the size and scope of taxpayer-funded bureaucratic agencies grew throughout the nineteenth century , private volunteer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The late nineteenth century was a period during which states and the federal government went to great lengths to end the old system of locally controlled militias , and this was topped off by the Militia Act of 1903 which largely ended state autonomy in controlling state military resources as well .
By 1945 , the National Guard was well on its way to becoming little more than an auxiliary to the federal government ’ s military establishment , although some remnants of the old decentralized system remained .
When it comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in many respects replaced by today ’ s state and local police forces , which unlike the volunteer militias are on the job full-time and enjoy immunity and privileges far beyond what any militia member of old might have ever dreamed of having .
Rather than private self-funded militias called out only occasionally to quell riots and uprisings , we have immense , taxpayer-paid police forces with military equipment , SWAT teams , and riot gear to carry out no-knock raids ( often getting the address wrong ) .
The old militia system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this switch to a more centralized bureaucratic system is not without costs of its own , both in terms of dollars and the potential for abuse .
Moreover , as has become increasingly apparent in recent years , National Guard troops and local police forces are clearly inadequate to provide safety and security for private homes and businesses .
Half of the nation ’ s violent crimes remain “ unsolved ” as police focus on petty drug offenses rather than homicides .
Meanwhile—as happened in both Ferguson and Kenosha—National Guard troops focus their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burn .
The dominant shapers of public opinion would have us believe that volunteer groups of armed men must be regarded with horror .
Yet it is increasingly clear that the institutions that have replaced the militias of the past still leave much to be desired .
Chip Berlet , Right-Wing Populism : Too Close for Comfort ( New York : Guildford Press , 2000 ) , p. 289 .
Berlet asserts during the mid-1990s , “ armed militia movements grew rapidly ” and labels the growth in these militias a “ major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The term “ guard ” was common in names for these militia groups .
The term , according to Stentiford , “ emhpasized the defensive ideals of the American militia.
” ( p. 33 ) .
Marcus Cunliffe , Soldiers and Civilians : The Martial Spirit in America 1775–1865 ( Boston : Little , Brown , 1968 ) , p. 218 .
James D. Elderkin , Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of a Soldier of Three Wars , as Written by Himself ( Ann Arbor , MI : University of Michigan Press , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ M. Stentiford , The Richardson Light Guard of Wakefield , Massachusetts : A Town Militia in War and Peace , 1851–1975 ( Jefferson , NC : McFarland , 2013 ) , pp .
33–40 .
Cunliffe ( p. 89 ) notes that fire companies in American cities were “ linked with military companies ” and provided “ ready-made recruits ” for some militias .
They were also closely linked with partisan machine politics at the time .
The Best of Ryan McMaken

Since at least as early as the mid-1990s, the term “militia” has been increasingly used by journalists and scholars on the left in connection with alleged “right-wing extremists.”
Over time, the term “militia” has been used to describe nearly any group of nonleftist armed men, and has been generally used in close connection with terms like “extremism,” “violence,” and “vigilante.” We have been reminded of this in recent years during riots in places like Ferguson, Missouri (in 2014), and Kenosha, Wisconsin (in 2020). In both cases, armed volunteers attempted to assist private sector business owners with protecting their property from looters and rioters. And in both cases, the volunteers were described with terms such as: “violent,” “militia,” “extreme,” and “white vigilante.”
Historically in the United States, however, the term “militia” had entirely different connotations. Throughout much of the nineteenth century, militias were considered to be common institutions central to civic and community life. They were a common fixture of local festivals and celebrations, and they functioned in some ways as fraternal orders function today. Right-Wing Populism in... Lyons, Matthew N. Best Price: $13.62 Buy New $27.00 (as of 04:18 UTC - Details)
Although some critics of the militia idea have attempted to claim militias existed primarily to suppress slave rebellions, the fact is militias were common and widespread in Northern states where they had no role whatsoever in maintaining the institution of slavery. In fact, militias often served an important role in providing opportunities and community cohesion for new immigrants.
The Local Militias of the Nineteenth Century
What’s more, many militias were independent of a centralized state militia system and functioned largely as private entities. They elected their own officers, were self-funded, and trained on their own schedules. Although they were ostensibly commanded by the state governors, this system of functionally private militias became an established part of daily life for many Americans. These were local volunteer militias with names like the “Richardson Light Guard,” the “Detroit Light Guard,” or the “Asmonean Guard.” They were essentially private clubs composed of gun owners who were expected to assist in keeping law and order within the cities and towns of the United States.
They were separate from the so-called common militias, which developed in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and which in many cases were staffed with conscripts, were funded with tax dollars, and were commanded by an established state bureaucracy.
But by the Jacksonian period, new volunteer militias began to arise. As noted by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, the United States by the 1830s had seen “a remarkable growth in the privately organized volunteer militia. The number of volunteer units had been expanding steadily since the American Revolution, but after the war of 1812, it exploded. Three hundred sprang up in California alone between 1849 and 1856.”
These groups were, in the words of historian Marcus Cunliffe, “volunteer companies existing independently of the statewide system of militia, and they held themselves aloof from the common mass. They provided their own uniforms.”
They also elected their own officers, did their own fundraising, staffed their own governing boards, and sought out for themselves a secure position within the communities where members lived. In earlier decades, especially the 1830s and 1840s, these groups tended to be “elite” in the sense that they attracted upper middle– and upper-class members of the community. This was in many cases because of the cost of funding these volunteer militias. The Richardson Light G... Barry M. Stentiford Best Price: $15.74 Buy New $29.95 (as of 04:18 UTC - Details)
As a member of the Detroit Light Guard remembered, “at that time the company got nothing from the State. They had to pay for all they got, uniforms and all.”
But by the 1850s, firearms and uniforms were becoming more affordable to the middle and working classes. This brought in many new members from outside the local elite circles of established families. Moreover, some militias were able to solicit funding from wealthy members of the community who acted as patrons. The case of the Richardson Light Guard (RLG) is instructive:
The RLG came into being in South Reading, Massachusetts, in 1851, in response to a perceived shortage of militiamen in the years following the Mexican War. At the time, all that was necessary for the militia to be regarded as legally sanctions was for the group to “petition the governor” for what amounted to a nod of approval. This was granted. But at that point, the group still lacked funding. Although members paid dues, historian Barry Stentiford notes that “Dues were not enough [to] cover the expenses of the fledgling company, and committee members had to use their own money to carry out its business.”
Members came up with a plan to offer “honorary memberships” to wealthy members of the community. The largest donor in this scheme was a man named Richardson, after whom the militia was soon named. Funding from prominent community members also added legitimacy to the group and ensured it would continue to be regarded as a community-sanctioned group of armed men.
Although the RLG enjoyed legal sanction, it was essentially a private organization, and Stentiford notes, “At its inception, the RLG belonged to its members, and to prominent residents of the town of South Reading. The town of South Reading, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the federal government occupied a diminishing hierarchy of influence.”
In other words, while everyone admitted local, state, and federal officials enjoyed some form of control of the militia, this authority was tentative at best.
Massachusetts wasn’t the only place were militias were privately funded and privately controlled. When Iowa became a US territory in 1838, for example, an “official” territorial militia was formed. On the other hand:
The formation of local militia groups was more relaxed in comparison to the State militia service. To form a local militia group one would simply ask for local men to sign up, name the group, possibly elect officials or form by-laws, and then write to the Iowa Territory legislature to introduce themselves and request weapons….If you received a positive letter back and weapons, you were a militia group in the Territory of Iowa.
Emancipating Slaves, E... Jeffrey Rogers Hummel Best Price: $18.79 Buy New $18.83 (as of 11:00 UTC - Details) Indeed, this sort of local—and even private ownership—was an increasingly common method of organizing militias by midcentury. Hummel concludes that “Because many volunteer units were privately organized, recruited, and equipped, the militia became a partially privatized system as well.”
Because of their local nature, many militias reflected local character as well—and access was hardly limited to national ethnic majorities. By the 1850s, immigrants had come to dominate many volunteer militias, with Irish, Scottish, and German militias becoming especially common. The Scottish militiamen wore kilts as part of their parade uniforms. The Italians created a “Guardia Nazionale Italiana.” Robert Ernst notes that the “significance of the immigrant military companies is evident in the fact that in 1853, more than 4,000 of the 6,000 uniformed militia in New York City were of foreign birth.”
Nor were militia groups limited to Christians. Jack D. Foner recounts in the American Jewish Archives Journal:
Jews in New York City formed military companies of their own. Troop K, Empire Hussars, was composed entirely of Jews, as was the Young Men’s Lafayette Association. A third unit, the Asmonean Guard, consisted of both Jewish and Christian employees of The Asmonean, one of the earliest Anglo-Jewish weekly newspapers. “Our employees,” commented the newspaper, “have been seized with this military mania, as they have enrolled themselves into an independent corps.”
As militias became more middle class, their names changed as well. Militias began to refer to themselves with names that might be used for sports teams today, including terms like “Invincibles,” “Avengers,” and “Snake Hunters.”
Dress uniforms were often extravagant and modeled on Napoleon’s troops earlier in the century. These groups were even known to impress foreigners. As one Englishman remarked: “They marched in sections, with a splendid band at their head and…it would be impossible to find a more military-looking, well-drilled body of men.”
These volunteer militias were attractive to potential members, because these groups served many social functions as well. As noted by historian Briton Cooper Busch, “in peacetime, all [volunteer militias] helped their communities celebrate festivals, holidays, and funerals with marches, balls, and banquets, helping out in emergencies, and often building an esprit de corps which established a basis for effective wartime service and even elite reputations.”
In many cases, membership in a local militia provided opportunities for social advancement, and “it was not uncommon for individual families to have long associations with these institutions.” For newcomers to any community, whether or not of foreign origin, “the militia company provided a means for newer residents to embed themselves into the fabric of the community.”
Immigrant Life in New ... Ernst, Immigrant life ... Best Price: $11.98 Buy New $13.86 (as of 04:18 UTC - Details) The volunteer militias played a similar role to that of the volunteer fire brigades of this period, which in many communities came to be dominated by immigrant groups and served as a way to and advance the social and economic lives of newcomers.
Militias Replaced by Full-Time Government Police and Centralized “National Guard”
Needless to say, this model of American militias is long gone from the imagination of nearly all Americans. Modern-day journalists and scholars have been hard at work attempting to connect militias, past and present, either to slavery or to fringe groups and vigilantism. Moreover, many Americans now regard the idea of privately controlled bands of armed men with trepidation and fear.
As the size and scope of taxpayer-funded bureaucratic agencies grew throughout the nineteenth century, private volunteer militias were deemed increasingly unnecessary and undesirable. The late nineteenth century was a period during which states and the federal government went to great lengths to end the old system of locally controlled militias, and this was topped off by the Militia Act of 1903 which largely ended state autonomy in controlling state military resources as well. By 1945, the National Guard was well on its way to becoming little more than an auxiliary to the federal government’s military establishment, although some remnants of the old decentralized system remained.
When it comes to urban environments, these militia were in many respects replaced by today’s state and local police forces, which unlike the volunteer militias are on the job full-time and enjoy immunity and privileges far beyond what any militia member of old might have ever dreamed of having. Rather than private self-funded militias called out only occasionally to quell riots and uprisings, we have immense, taxpayer-paid police forces with military equipment, SWAT teams, and riot gear to carry out no-knock raids (often getting the address wrong).
The old militia system was by no means flawless, but this switch to a more centralized bureaucratic system is not without costs of its own, both in terms of dollars and the potential for abuse.
Moreover, as has become increasingly apparent in recent years, National Guard troops and local police forces are clearly inadequate to provide safety and security for private homes and businesses. Half of the nation’s violent crimes remain “unsolved” as police focus on petty drug offenses rather than homicides. Meanwhile—as happened in both Ferguson and Kenosha—National Guard troops focus their protection on government buildings while private businesses burn.
The dominant shapers of public opinion would have us believe that volunteer groups of armed men must be regarded with horror. Yet it is increasingly clear that the institutions that have replaced the militias of the past still leave much to be desired.
—
Chip Berlet, Right-Wing Populism: Too Close for Comfort (New York: Guildford Press, 2000), p. 289. Berlet asserts during the mid-1990s, “armed militia movements grew rapidly” and labels the growth in these militias a “major U.S. social movement” of the time.
The term “guard” was common in names for these militia groups. The term, according to Stentiford, “emhpasized the defensive ideals of the American militia.” (p. 33).
Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men: A History of the American Civil War (Peru, IL: Open Court Publishing, 1996), p. 157.
Marcus Cunliffe, Soldiers and Civilians: The Martial Spirit in America 1775–1865 (Boston: Little, Brown, 1968), p. 218.
James D. Elderkin, Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of a Soldier of Three Wars, as Written by Himself (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1899), p. 127.
Barry M. Stentiford, The Richardson Light Guard of Wakefield, Massachusetts: A Town Militia in War and Peace, 1851–1975 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013), pp. 33–40.
Ibid., p. 39.
Robert Ernst, Immigrant Life in New York City, 1825–1863 (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1994), p. 129.
Cunliffe, p. 217.
Briton Cooper Busch, Bunker Hill to Bastogne: Elite Forces and American Society (Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2006), p. 53.
Busch, p. 53.
Stentiford, p. 34.
Cunliffe (p. 89) notes that fire companies in American cities were “linked with military companies” and provided “ready-made recruits” for some militias. They were also closely linked with partisan machine politics at the time.
The Best of Ryan McMaken


lewrockwell--2020-09-01--Progressives, the President, Privatization, and the Post Office

The latest spat between progressives and President Trump is over the Post Office .
The New York Times is all but accusing the president of withholding funds from the Post Office so as to undercut voting by mail , which he sees as being riddled with fraud .
A spokesman for the Biden campaign put it this way : The president of the United States is sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of people rely upon , cutting a critical lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines , because he wants to deprive Americans of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most catastrophic public health crisis in over 100 years .
Senator Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) was even more adamant : “ I am not exaggerating when I say this is a life-and-death situation .
The Post Office is delivering medicine to millions of Americans during a pandemic .
It delivers Social Security checks to seniors who rely on those benefits to survive.
” This , of course is nonsense , as is most of what Sanders says .
Over 99 percent of Social Security payments are sent via direct deposit .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of the prescription drug market .
The Free Society Laurence M. Vance Best Price : $ 13.55 Buy New $ 17.54 The Post Office has a problem , but the problem has existed since long before Trump was elected .
The United States Postal Service ( USPS ) lost almost $ 9 billion last year .
It has lost $ 83.1 billion since 2006 .
Its unfunded pension and health-care liabilities exceed $ 120 billion .
The Post Office has a pricing problem .
Revenue from first-class mail—the biggest source of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as labor costs continue to increase .
Of the 142.6 billion pieces of mail that the Post Office handled in 2019 , “ 53 percent was advertising material , a.k.a .
junk mail , up from 48 percent in 2010.
” And “ companies pay a special rate , 19 cents apiece , to send these items ( in bulk ) , as opposed to the 55 cents for a first-class stamp.
” But even if the Post Office raised its prices on all of its services other than first-class mail , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post Office is one of the federal government ’ s few departments that is clearly authorized by the Constitution .
In Article I , Section 8 , Paragraph 7 , Congress is given the power “ to establish Post Offices and post Roads.
” But just because post offices are authorized doesn ’ t mean that they are mandated .
And nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the Post Office should have a monopoly on first-class mail like it currently has .
As James Bovard has well said : The Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ L. Best Price : $ 5.95 Buy New $ 9.95 The Postal Service has gotten away with scorning its customers because it is effectively a federal crime to provide better mail service than the government .
The Postal Service has a monopoly over letter delivery ( with a limited exemption for urgent , courier-delivered letters costing more than $ 3 ) .
According to U.S. Code , Title 39 , Chapter I , Subchapter E , Part 310 , Section 310.2 , “ Unlawful carriage of letters , ” ( a ) It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Statutes for any person other than the Postal Service in any manner to send or carry a letter on a post route or in any manner to cause or assist such activity .
Violation may result in injunction , fine or imprisonment or both and payment of postage lost as a result of the illegal activity .
In the nineteenth century , private mail carriers in the United States were shut down by the federal government .
Monopolies are contrary to principles of economic freedom , competition , free markets , and free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my word for it .
The federal government has an Antitrust division in the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) charged with promoting “ economic competition through enforcing and providing guidance on antitrust laws and principles.
” According to the DOJ : The goal of the antitrust laws is to protect economic freedom and opportunity by promoting free and fair competition in the marketplace .
Free Trade or Protecti ... Laurence M. Vance Best Price : null Buy New $ 5.95 Competition in a free market benefits American consumers through lower prices , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides businesses the opportunity to compete on price and quality , in an open market and on a level playing field , unhampered by anticompetitive restraints .
Competition also tests and hardens American companies at home , the better to succeed abroad .
Federal antitrust laws apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business , including manufacturing , transportation , distribution , and marketing .
They prohibit a variety of practices that restrain trade , such as price-fixing conspiracies , corporate mergers likely to reduce the competitive vigor of particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ achieve or maintain monopoly power .
So where is the DOJ ?
The postal monopoly is now almost two centuries old .
Privatizing the Post Office would merely shift the postal monopoly from the government to a government-privileged firm .
Mail service should be freed , not privatized .
As long as we have a Post Service , it should adjust its prices so that they have some relation to a valid business model that seeks to turn a profit .
But regardless , the postal monopoly should be ended .
The Best @ @ @ @

The latest spat between progressives and President Trump is over the Post Office.
The New York Times is all but accusing the president of withholding funds from the Post Office so as to undercut voting by mail, which he sees as being riddled with fraud. A spokesman for the Biden campaign put it this way:
The president of the United States is sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of people rely upon, cutting a critical lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he wants to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely during the most catastrophic public health crisis in over 100 years.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was even more adamant: “I am not exaggerating when I say this is a life-and-death situation. The Post Office is delivering medicine to millions of Americans during a pandemic. It delivers Social Security checks to seniors who rely on those benefits to survive.” This, of course is nonsense, as is most of what Sanders says. Over 99 percent of Social Security payments are sent via direct deposit. And mail prescriptions only make up only 5.8 percent of the prescription drug market. The Free Society Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $13.55 Buy New $17.54 (as of 04:55 UTC - Details)
The Post Office has a problem, but the problem has existed since long before Trump was elected. The United States Postal Service (USPS) lost almost $9 billion last year. It has lost $83.1 billion since 2006. Its unfunded pension and health-care liabilities exceed $120 billion.
The Post Office has a pricing problem. Revenue from first-class mail—the biggest source of the USPS’s revenue—continues to decline even as labor costs continue to increase. Of the 142.6 billion pieces of mail that the Post Office handled in 2019, “53 percent was advertising material, a.k.a. junk mail, up from 48 percent in 2010.” And “companies pay a special rate, 19 cents apiece, to send these items (in bulk), as opposed to the 55 cents for a first-class stamp.”
But even if the Post Office raised its prices on all of its services other than first-class mail, it would still have a problem.
The Post Office is one of the federal government’s few departments that is clearly authorized by the Constitution. In Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 7, Congress is given the power “to establish Post Offices and post Roads.”
But just because post offices are authorized doesn’t mean that they are mandated. And nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the Post Office should have a monopoly on first-class mail like it currently has. As James Bovard has well said: The Last Monopoly: Pri... Hudgins, Edward L. Best Price: $5.95 Buy New $9.95 (as of 04:59 UTC - Details)
The Postal Service has gotten away with scorning its customers because it is effectively a federal crime to provide better mail service than the government. The Postal Service has a monopoly over letter delivery (with a limited exemption for urgent, courier-delivered letters costing more than $3).
According to U.S. Code, Title 39, Chapter I, Subchapter E, Part 310, Section 310.2, “Unlawful carriage of letters,”
(a) It is generally unlawful under the Private Express Statutes for any person other than the Postal Service in any manner to send or carry a letter on a post route or in any manner to cause or assist such activity. Violation may result in injunction, fine or imprisonment or both and payment of postage lost as a result of the illegal activity.
In the nineteenth century, private mail carriers in the United States were shut down by the federal government.
Monopolies are contrary to principles of economic freedom, competition, free markets, and free enterprise. But don’t take my word for it. The federal government has an Antitrust division in the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged with promoting “economic competition through enforcing and providing guidance on antitrust laws and principles.” According to the DOJ:
The goal of the antitrust laws is to protect economic freedom and opportunity by promoting free and fair competition in the marketplace. Free Trade or Protecti... Laurence M. Vance Buy New $5.95 (as of 04:55 UTC - Details)
Competition in a free market benefits American consumers through lower prices, better quality and greater choice. Competition provides businesses the opportunity to compete on price and quality, in an open market and on a level playing field, unhampered by anticompetitive restraints. Competition also tests and hardens American companies at home, the better to succeed abroad.
Federal antitrust laws apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business, including manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and marketing. They prohibit a variety of practices that restrain trade, such as price-fixing conspiracies, corporate mergers likely to reduce the competitive vigor of particular markets, and predatory acts designed to achieve or maintain monopoly power.
So where is the DOJ? The postal monopoly is now almost two centuries old.
Privatizing the Post Office would merely shift the postal monopoly from the government to a government-privileged firm. Mail service should be freed, not privatized. As long as we have a Post Service, it should adjust its prices so that they have some relation to a valid business model that seeks to turn a profit. But regardless, the postal monopoly should be ended.
The Best of Laurence M. Vance


lewrockwell--2020-09-01--If the Vaccine Comes and You are Still Wearing a Face Mask, You’re in for a World of Pain

If I were to lay in bed for the next twenty years , and to then rise , I would not have much strength in my muscles to do the activities I once enjoyed .
I might collapse onto the ground , with my poor quivering atrophied muscles shocked by the sudden immense force that they have been called on to exert in this untrained state .
If I trained every day for a week , I might be able to get out of bed again .
If I trained every day for a month , I might be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s going to take some doing to work through that kind of rust , and to train yourself out of that kind of neglect — but if you know that going in , maybe that little bit of effort won ’ t be so bad .
You ’ ve done harder things .
There was a time in your life , early on , when you spent every waking hour for about six months trying to figure out how to just roll your body over .
You were also working on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Imagine how simple that movement probably is for you today and how hard it once was .
Good-Bye Germ Theory : ... Trebing , Dr. William P Best Price : $ 36.69 Buy New $ 14.00 For a year , maybe a year-and-a-half , you tried your best to figure out how to balance head atop neck , atop shoulder , atop spine , atop hips , atop femur , atop knees , atop tibia , atop ankles , atop all those little movements in those cute little feet and toes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first time you let go and stood , and then dared to take a step .
Why ’ d you do it ?
Because it felt as natural as walking out into the fresh air and feeling the sunshine on your entire face .
Just feels right , this thing we call freedom .
To this day , you still probably trip and fall from time to time .
Balance and coordination are a lifelong endeavor .
Many efforts are a lifelong endeavor that not only stop growing , but atrophy , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most innocent , lump of happiness and love that makes up a child ever sabotage her own growth , her own progress , her own advancement toward being a full , free and capable part of this world ?
I ’ ve never heard of that child .
Then what would cause any adult to do that ?
Somewhere along the way something changes in some people .
It took you about two years to learn how to grasp a thing as simple as a pencil , and another two years of work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process , perhaps even longer .
To this day , you probably still have to work pretty hard , if you ’ re going to operate a pencil with much precision .
I ’ m not asking you to do anything that hard at all , nothing as hard as the work it took you to learn how to operate a pencil , which when you think about it is a pretty amazing accomplishment .
Compared to all the thousands of challenges like these , that you ’ ve worked so hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a walk in the proverbial park .
Jabbed : How the Vaccin ... Wilcox , Brett Best Price : $ 13.02 Buy New $ 13.05 For twenty years , the average and above-average American alike have been laying in bed , ever since those planes hit the World Trade Center and government said “ Go to your room .
We ’ re in charge now.
” It can be no surprise that some muscles have since atrophied .
The emergency they said they were handling never came to an end .
The terror @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stopped talking about them .
To this day , I don ’ t know what those terror alerts mean or why they matter , and not for the life of me do I care .
People have tried to explain it to me , perhaps not realizing that I stopped listening to them about twenty seconds before they started explaining , right around the moment where their tonality shifted away from the “ I-am-telling-you-something-sincere-or-original ” voice to the “ I-am-now-delivering-a-preprogrammed-message ” voice .
We still have alerts .
We still have security at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ for the safety of all.
” We still have a two decade unending war .
We still have an even bigger military with all its parasitic appendages that a United States president and general once called the “ military industrial complex ” in his farewell address on January 17 , 1961 .
He knew that topic better than anyone and appealed to the American public on national television about it , yet today it is a conversational topic relegated to those pejoratively deemed “ oddballs , ” which is exactly how some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be .
Because of the failures of many , a generation ago , in their own lives that allowed security theater to be commonplace in America , all the leftover nonsense of the last twenty years are problems that remain today as temporal and qualitative taxations on daily life .
But some people do not comply .
Some refuse to lift their hands in the “ I surrender ” pose .
The Politics of Obedie ... Etienne de la Boetie Best Price : $ 7.00 Buy New $ 7.00 They have not been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ muscles are strong .
They have not neglected to fight the fight that so many others ran from .
Consequently , these people who stood up twenty years ago and continue to do so to this day , have felt little of the tyranny that is American security theater .
People like that saw the goofy face mask order on the horizon and laughed : “ You think I ’ m scared of an unenforced face mask order ?
I stared down low paid , poorly trained , uniformed TSA government thugs from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were the front line in the War on Terror and that I must be a baby killing terrorist if I didn ’ t comply with their every word .
And I did that during 40 trips each year , both ways .
You think I ’ m scared of this face mask hype ?
” People like that aren ’ t scared .
They ’ ve been building their muscles .
They ’ ve seen some of the worst this country has offered its citizens over the last two decades and have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to everyone else ?
You may have been one of those who stayed in bed .
Perhaps you ’ re ready to start working those muscles again .
“ If you ’ re like me , you want your heroes full-throated and unflinching , ” writes the full-throated and unflinching Becky Ackers .
I don ’ t expect to ever see her in a fear mask .
I don ’ t expect to ever see her lining up for a Bill Gates approved anti-viral regimen .
I don ’ t expect to ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ mandatory ” recommendations .
Some days , dozens of people write me to tell me their stories from the corona compliance checkpoint .
Boy does that give me inspiration .
It inspires me not because they aren ’ t wearing face masks , it inspires me because I know they are 1 . )
identifying their boundaries , 2 . )
communicating their boundaries , and 3 . )
defending their boundaries .
That is an applicable skill in the face of any request from government , from an employer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , from a thief , from a parent , from a child , from a friend , from anyone .
It ’ s not just about government .
Government is not to blame , but you might be .
It ’ s about being honest with yourself and with others as you live your life .
There is no freedom any other way .
Even though they may not be stated the exact same way , all attempts at freedom succeed because they focus on this principle of identifying , communicating , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happy when I hear these stories because these stories are bigger than masks .
These stories are about people building their most valuable muscles in ensuring their individual freedom .
Yeah , I get it , it ’ s also about masks and exemptions and valid reasons to be able to stop hiding in your house , and why you shouldn ’ t be scared to exercise your valid exemption ( as I ’ ve written here , here , here , here , here , here , here and here ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Dr Vernon Buy New $ 3.99 The millions of Americans with valid exemptions get to rise up , each morning , thankful for the condition that they may have once felt was a disability , because in this moment they are able to advance and defend human freedom in their own lives in a way that so many others are afraid to do without the law on their side , and it ’ s about so much more too .
Because in that process , you really have a chance to bulk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fool who isn ’ t taking that chance .
I don ’ t know what the future holds .
No one does .
But some of those necromancers , charlatans , and algorithm buggers claim to have a crystal ball telling them their future .
They are saying pretty clearly what their plan for your future is .
I know quite a few people who won ’ t take part in that future , because they ’ ve trained every chance they could , every day they could , for many years of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many others , who are new to this all , but who won ’ t take part in that future because they ’ ve been training every day that they can , every opportunity they can , since the first time someone told them to wear a fear mask .
Some may have even had their change of heart this very moment .
They laughed : “ You want me to do what ?
” And then they never did that thing that was so foolish an idea that they laughed out loud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life training — perhaps the most vital training — doing what you want , and not doing what you don ’ t want to do .
It ’ s honest .
The deepest honesty may exist in disobedience .
The two are not antonyms , no matter what virtually every authority figure in human history would have you believe .
Those who walk through every retail door they want as a paying customer , and every church door they want as a parishioner , and every space they want as a visitor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without the mask — even if they only start demanding that standard for themselves starting this moment — those are the ones who won ’ t take a vaccine .
Those are the ones who will know their boundaries , know how to communicate their boundaries , know how to defend their boundaries , and consequently , will be ready for whatever comes next .
Master Manipulator : Th ... James Ottar Grundvig Best Price : $ 14.15 Buy New $ 17.78 They aren ’ t saying to themselves “ I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and if it ’ s really bad then , I ’ ll stand up for the first time in twenty years.
” Some people , unfortunately , are telling themselves that exact fairy tale as they press the snooze button and roll over , getting comfortable with everything happening around them .
I don ’ t know what comes next .
You don ’ t know what comes next .
But I know the tools I need to be a free man in this world .
And do I ever feel lucky to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much this year .
A pope once wrote “ Let us thank God that He makes us live among the present problems .
It is no longer permitted to anyone to be mediocre.
” Send me your stories from the face mask compliance checkpoint and help me put an end to this tyranny .
The Best of Allan Stevo

If I were to lay in bed for the next twenty years, and to then rise, I would not have much strength in my muscles to do the activities I once enjoyed.
I might collapse onto the ground, with my poor quivering atrophied muscles shocked by the sudden immense force that they have been called on to exert in this untrained state.
If I trained every day for a week, I might be able to get out of bed again. If I trained every day for a month, I might be able to go for a walk again.
It’s going to take some doing to work through that kind of rust, and to train yourself out of that kind of neglect — but if you know that going in, maybe that little bit of effort won’t be so bad.
You’ve done harder things. There was a time in your life, early on, when you spent every waking hour for about six months trying to figure out how to just roll your body over. You were also working on learning other tasks at the same time. Imagine how simple that movement probably is for you today and how hard it once was. Good-Bye Germ Theory: ... Trebing, Dr. William P Best Price: $36.69 Buy New $14.00 (as of 04:04 UTC - Details)
For a year, maybe a year-and-a-half, you tried your best to figure out how to balance head atop neck, atop shoulder, atop spine, atop hips, atop femur, atop knees, atop tibia, atop ankles, atop all those little movements in those cute little feet and toes that it took to keep you balanced that first time you let go and stood, and then dared to take a step. Why’d you do it? Because it felt as natural as walking out into the fresh air and feeling the sunshine on your entire face. Just feels right, this thing we call freedom.
To this day, you still probably trip and fall from time to time. Balance and coordination are a lifelong endeavor. Many efforts are a lifelong endeavor that not only stop growing, but atrophy, and even die if neglected.
Would the most innocent, lump of happiness and love that makes up a child ever sabotage her own growth, her own progress, her own advancement toward being a full, free and capable part of this world?
I’ve never heard of that child.
Then what would cause any adult to do that? Somewhere along the way something changes in some people.
It took you about two years to learn how to grasp a thing as simple as a pencil, and another two years of work before you could bring any precision to the process, perhaps even longer. To this day, you probably still have to work pretty hard, if you’re going to operate a pencil with much precision.
I’m not asking you to do anything that hard at all, nothing as hard as the work it took you to learn how to operate a pencil, which when you think about it is a pretty amazing accomplishment. Compared to all the thousands of challenges like these, that you’ve worked so hard at and accomplished, this one is a walk in the proverbial park. Jabbed: How the Vaccin... Wilcox, Brett Best Price: $13.02 Buy New $13.05 (as of 03:50 UTC - Details)
For twenty years, the average and above-average American alike have been laying in bed, ever since those planes hit the World Trade Center and government said “Go to your room. We’re in charge now.” It can be no surprise that some muscles have since atrophied. The emergency they said they were handling never came to an end. The terror alerts never stopped. Some people never stopped talking about them. To this day, I don’t know what those terror alerts mean or why they matter, and not for the life of me do I care.
People have tried to explain it to me, perhaps not realizing that I stopped listening to them about twenty seconds before they started explaining, right around the moment where their tonality shifted away from the “I-am-telling-you-something-sincere-or-original” voice to the “I-am-now-delivering-a-preprogrammed-message” voice.
We still have alerts. We still have security at airports that touch passengers’ private parts “for the safety of all.” We still have a two decade unending war. We still have an even bigger military with all its parasitic appendages that a United States president and general once called the “military industrial complex” in his farewell address on January 17, 1961.
He knew that topic better than anyone and appealed to the American public on national television about it, yet today it is a conversational topic relegated to those pejoratively deemed “oddballs,” which is exactly how some special interest groups would like it to be.
Because of the failures of many, a generation ago, in their own lives that allowed security theater to be commonplace in America, all the leftover nonsense of the last twenty years are problems that remain today as temporal and qualitative taxations on daily life. But some people do not comply. Some refuse to lift their hands in the “I surrender” pose.
The Politics of Obedie... Etienne de la Boetie Best Price: $7.00 Buy New $7.00 (as of 05:45 UTC - Details) They have not been laying in bed twenty years. Their muscles are strong. They have not neglected to fight the fight that so many others ran from. Consequently, these people who stood up twenty years ago and continue to do so to this day, have felt little of the tyranny that is American security theater.
People like that saw the goofy face mask order on the horizon and laughed: “You think I’m scared of an unenforced face mask order? I stared down low paid, poorly trained, uniformed TSA government thugs from 2002 to 2020 who were told that they were the front line in the War on Terror and that I must be a baby killing terrorist if I didn’t comply with their every word. And I did that during 40 trips each year, both ways. You think I’m scared of this face mask hype?”
People like that aren’t scared. They’ve been building their muscles. They’ve seen some of the worst this country has offered its citizens over the last two decades and have survived uncowed and unscathed.
What happened to everyone else?
You may have been one of those who stayed in bed. Perhaps you’re ready to start working those muscles again.
“If you’re like me, you want your heroes full-throated and unflinching,” writes the full-throated and unflinching Becky Ackers.
I don’t expect to ever see her in a fear mask. I don’t expect to ever see her lining up for a Bill Gates approved anti-viral regimen. I don’t expect to ever see her complying with the government’s “mandatory” recommendations.
Some days, dozens of people write me to tell me their stories from the corona compliance checkpoint. Boy does that give me inspiration. It inspires me not because they aren’t wearing face masks, it inspires me because I know they are 1.) identifying their boundaries, 2.) communicating their boundaries, and 3.) defending their boundaries.
That is an applicable skill in the face of any request from government, from an employer, from a customer, from a spouse, from a thief, from a parent, from a child, from a friend, from anyone.
It’s not just about government. Government is not to blame, but you might be.
It’s about being honest with yourself and with others as you live your life. There is no freedom any other way. Even though they may not be stated the exact same way, all attempts at freedom succeed because they focus on this principle of identifying, communicating, and defending personal boundaries.
I’m happy when I hear these stories because these stories are bigger than masks. These stories are about people building their most valuable muscles in ensuring their individual freedom.
Yeah, I get it, it’s also about masks and exemptions and valid reasons to be able to stop hiding in your house, and why you shouldn’t be scared to exercise your valid exemption (as I’ve written here , here, here, here, here, here, here and here). Anyone Who Tells You V... Coleman, Dr Vernon Buy New $3.99 (as of 04:06 UTC - Details)
The millions of Americans with valid exemptions get to rise up, each morning, thankful for the condition that they may have once felt was a disability, because in this moment they are able to advance and defend human freedom in their own lives in a way that so many others are afraid to do without the law on their side, and it’s about so much more too.
Because in that process, you really have a chance to bulk up those muscles.
I pity the fool who isn’t taking that chance.
I don’t know what the future holds. No one does. But some of those necromancers, charlatans, and algorithm buggers claim to have a crystal ball telling them their future. They are saying pretty clearly what their plan for your future is.
It’s a scary future they describe.
I know quite a few people who won’t take part in that future, because they’ve trained every chance they could, every day they could, for many years of their lives. I know others, many others, who are new to this all, but who won’t take part in that future because they’ve been training every day that they can, every opportunity they can, since the first time someone told them to wear a fear mask. Some may have even had their change of heart this very moment.
They laughed: “You want me to do what?”
And then they never did that thing that was so foolish an idea that they laughed out loud at it.
That’s real life training — perhaps the most vital training — doing what you want, and not doing what you don’t want to do. It’s honest. The deepest honesty may exist in disobedience. The two are not antonyms, no matter what virtually every authority figure in human history would have you believe.
Those who walk through every retail door they want as a paying customer, and every church door they want as a parishioner, and every space they want as a visitor, and figure out how to do it without the mask — even if they only start demanding that standard for themselves starting this moment — those are the ones who won’t take a vaccine. Those are the ones who will know their boundaries, know how to communicate their boundaries, know how to defend their boundaries, and consequently, will be ready for whatever comes next. Master Manipulator: Th... James Ottar Grundvig Best Price: $14.15 Buy New $17.78 (as of 05:25 UTC - Details)
They aren’t saying to themselves “I’ll lay in bed six more months, and if it’s really bad then, I’ll stand up for the first time in twenty years.” Some people, unfortunately, are telling themselves that exact fairy tale as they press the snooze button and roll over, getting comfortable with everything happening around them.
I don’t know what comes next.
You don’t know what comes next.
But I know the tools I need to be a free man in this world.
And do I ever feel lucky to be able to train with them so much this year.
A pope once wrote “Let us thank God that He makes us live among the present problems. It is no longer permitted to anyone to be mediocre.”
I like that.
Who’s with me?
Send me your stories from the face mask compliance checkpoint and help me put an end to this tyranny.
The Best of Allan Stevo


lewrockwell--2020-09-01--The City With No Government

The City With No Government

When I was eleven , I moved to a small trailer park in a place called Wallins .
Now , I know Wallins well .
I went to the elementary school up the road and the trailer I lived in had been my cousin ’ s for many years .
I had spent many weekends there .
For a few weeks , I went to a church up the street with my other cousins and a few years later I went to a church down the street with my girlfriend at the time .
My cousin ( not related to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Wallins and was a volunteer firefighter .
My uncle owned probably the most prominent and well-known business in Wallins ( there was only , like , three of them and his was the only place that sold food ) called Hensley ’ s Grocery but everyone called it May ’ s after his wife who was the cashier .
My ancestors lived and worked in Wallins since at least the 1880s .
Like I said , I know Wallins well .
Wallins has about 1,000 people ( although is listed as two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but no one considers them two separate places ) .
It has seven or eight churches ( one of whom , House of Mercy , has a female pastor who was my eighth grade English teacher ) and a few businesses .
There ’ s the aforementioned May ’ s , a garage , and a few others .
There used to be an abandoned car from the 1930s that sat across the street from a church .
I don ’ t know if it still exists .
There used to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fork in the road but it ’ s gone .
Speaking of things that once were , Wallins once had a government .
It had a government .
It hasn ’ t had one since 2008 .
Harlan County Kentucky ... Buy New $ 17.99 Wallins is 40 minutes away from the county seat , Harlan .
Therefore , the police are only called for the most serious crimes .
Wallins doesn ’ t have a police department anymore .
The seven years that I lived there , I never dealt with any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the decrepit trailer I lived in , but I like to be optimistic .
During my time there , I never saw police patrol the area but that might have been because I lived a little distance away from the main road .
Although , I never saw them in the morning when I waited on the bus either .
Wallins is not a perfect city .
There are literal ruins , a poverty rate of 44 % , and a serious drug problem .
I won ’ t focus on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the negatives of Appalachia .
However , I do believe Wallins is an anarchist ’ s Shangri-La .
It is hidden away in the Appalachian mountains .
If you drove by it on the highway , you ’ d never notice except for a turnoff and a large sign .
Wallins is not the only place like this nor is it the only place like this in Harlan County .
There ’ s Dayhoit , Totz , Sawbriar , Baxter , Dizney , Mary Alice , etc .
Only Wallins was a city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been unincorporated communities .
The anarchism that runs through Wallins is not like contemporary anarchism .
It is a conservative anarchism .
It is against abortion and for Appalachian traditions .
It is opposed to corporate interests and is supportive of the rights of workers .
Individualism , self-reliance , and self-sufficiency are virtues but community is no vice .
Community is important to the people of Wallins as it is to Appalachia .
It is the second important tradition of the Appalachian people with the first being faith .
The two are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city .
Wallins is the anarchist society that anarchists should seek to achieve .
It ’ s not perfect and has problems ( problems that have anarchist solutions mind you ) but it is stable and peaceful .
It ’ s not a chaotic mess like CHAZ or in a war zone like Rojava .
Anarchists might not like the conservatism present in Wallins , but it ’ s an example to follow .
It ’ s the city with no government and it is an example that government doesn ’ t even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for there to be peace and order .
Anarchy , State , and Ut ... Nozick , Robert Best Price : $ 9.95 Buy New $ 12.87 Harlan , Kentucky Souve ... Buy New $ 18.75

When I was eleven, I moved to a small trailer park in a place called Wallins. Now, I know Wallins well. I went to the elementary school up the road and the trailer I lived in had been my cousin’s for many years. I had spent many weekends there. For a few weeks, I went to a church up the street with my other cousins and a few years later I went to a church down the street with my girlfriend at the time. My cousin (not related to the other two cousins mentioned) lived in Wallins and was a volunteer firefighter. My uncle owned probably the most prominent and well-known business in Wallins (there was only, like, three of them and his was the only place that sold food) called Hensley’s Grocery but everyone called it May’s after his wife who was the cashier. My ancestors lived and worked in Wallins since at least the 1880s. Like I said, I know Wallins well.
Wallins has about 1,000 people (although is listed as two places, Wallins and South Wallins, but no one considers them two separate places). It has seven or eight churches (one of whom, House of Mercy, has a female pastor who was my eighth grade English teacher) and a few businesses. There’s the aforementioned May’s, a garage, and a few others. There used to be an abandoned car from the 1930s that sat across the street from a church. I don’t know if it still exists. There used to be a large piece of conglomerate rock at some fork in the road but it’s gone. Speaking of things that once were, Wallins once had a government. It had a government. It hasn’t had one since 2008.
Harlan County Kentucky... Buy New $17.99 (as of 04:24 UTC - Details) Wallins is 40 minutes away from the county seat, Harlan. Therefore, the police are only called for the most serious crimes. Wallins doesn’t have a police department anymore. The seven years that I lived there, I never dealt with any crime. That may have been because of the decrepit trailer I lived in, but I like to be optimistic. During my time there, I never saw police patrol the area but that might have been because I lived a little distance away from the main road. Although, I never saw them in the morning when I waited on the bus either.
Wallins is not a perfect city. There are literal ruins, a poverty rate of 44%, and a serious drug problem. I won’t focus on that. Too many people speak only of the negatives of Appalachia. However, I do believe Wallins is an anarchist’s Shangri-La. It is hidden away in the Appalachian mountains. If you drove by it on the highway, you’d never notice except for a turnoff and a large sign. Wallins is not the only place like this nor is it the only place like this in Harlan County. There’s Dayhoit, Totz, Sawbriar, Baxter, Dizney, Mary Alice, etc. Only Wallins was a city, however. The rest have always been unincorporated communities.
The anarchism that runs through Wallins is not like contemporary anarchism. It is a conservative anarchism. It is against abortion and for Appalachian traditions. It is opposed to corporate interests and is supportive of the rights of workers. Individualism, self-reliance, and self-sufficiency are virtues but community is no vice. Community is important to the people of Wallins as it is to Appalachia. It is the second important tradition of the Appalachian people with the first being faith. The two are, however, interwoven in this mountain city.
Wallins is the anarchist society that anarchists should seek to achieve. It’s not perfect and has problems (problems that have anarchist solutions mind you) but it is stable and peaceful. It’s not a chaotic mess like CHAZ or in a war zone like Rojava. Anarchists might not like the conservatism present in Wallins, but it’s an example to follow. It’s the city with no government and it is an example that government doesn’t even need to exist on the local level for there to be peace and order.
Anarchy, State, and Ut... Nozick, Robert Best Price: $9.95 Buy New $12.87 (as of 11:50 UTC - Details) Harlan, Kentucky Souve... Buy New $18.75 (as of 04:24 UTC - Details)
The Best of Dakota Hensley


lewrockwell--2020-09-01--Tipping Point? Man Shot-Dead in Portland for Backing Trump

After 4 years of the most vicious , hyperbolic and incendiary character assassination campaign in the nation ’ s history , the media finally claimed its first fatality in a shootout in Portland on Saturday night .
The victim–whose name has not yet been disclosed– was shot by an ( allegedly ) Antifa member who saw the man ’ s hat as sufficient provocation to gun him down in cold blood .
This is the first incident in which the hysteria generated by the media and its accomplices in Democrat party can be directly linked to a political assassination justified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political beliefs different than those of the perpetrator .
Simply put , he was killed because he was identified as a Trump supporter and , thus , “ fair game ” .
The media has fanned the flames of political hatred and retribution from the very beginning ; from advising the public to reject the results of the 2016 elections to openly challenging Trump ’ s legitimate right to govern the country .
They have fueled the animosity towards Trump by denouncing him as a fascist , a racist , a homophobe , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The media has employed all of its prodigious powers of persuasion to relentlessly demonize Trump , and they are responsible for the highly-charged and toxic atmosphere in which a tragedy– like Saturday ’ s shooting– became unavoidable .
They cleared the path for a confrontation in which a self-righteous perpetrator felt entirely-justified in killing an unarmed man whose only crime was that he openly supported the president of the United States .
There is no way to overstate the media ’ s culpability in this shocking incident .
The War on Cops : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Best Price : $ 16.73 Buy New $ 16.61 This was not a robbery , a mugging or a clash between gang members .
It was a political “ hit ” executed by a remorseless assassin who believed he was fulfilling his moral obligation by exterminating someone he considered an enemy of humanity .
The media is as guilty of this crime as if they had pulled the trigger themselves .
The blood is on their hands .
Unsurprisingly , the killer ’ s colleagues — gathered in downtown Portland for their nightly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news that a Trump supporter had been shot-dead by one of their own .
“ I am not sad that a f—ing fascist died tonight , ” a woman barked into a bullhorn at the downtown riot .
Her statement was greeted with cheers of enthusiasm from the bloodthirsty crowd .
Earlier in the evening , the group had laid siege to a gas station protected by a frightened owner who was verbally abused and physically threatened for having the audacity to protect his own property .
For this , he was spat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , which is the moniker attached to anyone who doesn ’ t ascribe to the prevailing anarchist doctrine that all property is a crime and that anyone who defends himself or his belongings is an enemy of the people .
Thankfully , the owner was not beaten or killed like the unlucky victim just blocks away who was fatally wounded by a man ( allegedly ) connected to this same group of cutthroats .
It ’ s worth noting , that there is evidence that the killing was both intentional and premeditated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fired , an accomplice , who accompanied the killer said : Killer High : A History ... Andreas , Peter Best Price : $ 19.48 Buy New $ 19.49 “ Hey !
Hey , we got one right here !
We got a Trumper right here !
” The shooting took place following a long day of counter-protests in which a 600-car pro-Trump caravan drove through downtown Portland touching-off a violent reaction from BLM and Antifa activists .
Bags of feces and other projectiles were hurled at the flag-strewn trucks as they slowly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were a number of verbal altercations and some physical dust-ups that were not reported in the media but which popped up later on Twitter .
These videos provide an instructive seminar on the rapid devolution of a major American city into a dystopian Marxist free-fire zone .
Portland –much like its neighbor , Seattle , to the North– has essentially detached from mainland America and become an independent Republic governed by violent extremists , radical ideologues and moonstruck anti-Trump sociopaths all of who are determined to defund the police , eliminate all institutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and establish their own malignant mini-state based on their own skewed version of history .
Regrettably , Portland ’ s liberal mayor and governor have been supportive of this farce from the get-go and continue to reject federal assistance from Trump .
They seem to enjoy their role as stewards of thriving American city that is presently descending into anarchy and ruin .
Deadly Medicines and O ... Peter Gotzsche Best Price : $ 38.43 Buy New $ 33.29 The Democrats continue to believe that they can control these elemental forces of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own political advantage in November when ( supposedly ) these hooligans will put down their Molotov cocktails long enough to vote for Joe Biden , thus , eliminating the threat of a crackdown from Donald Trump .
It could happen , but it seems increasingly unlikely .
Saturday ’ s murder crosses a number of red lines that demand an immediate and heavy-handed response .
Something must be done .
Without order , there can be no commerce , no security and no civilization .
Our streets belong to the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through violence and intimidation .
Saturday ’ s murder underscores the importance of straightening this situation out fast .
If the Governor is incapable of preserving the peace , then Trump should .
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review .

After 4 years of the most vicious, hyperbolic and incendiary character assassination campaign in the nation’s history, the media finally claimed its first fatality in a shootout in Portland on Saturday night. The victim–whose name has not yet been disclosed– was shot by an (allegedly) Antifa member who saw the man’s hat as sufficient provocation to gun him down in cold blood. This is the first incident in which the hysteria generated by the media and its accomplices in Democrat party can be directly linked to a political assassination justified on the basis that the victim espoused political beliefs different than those of the perpetrator. Simply put, he was killed because he was identified as a Trump supporter and, thus, “fair game”.
The media has fanned the flames of political hatred and retribution from the very beginning; from advising the public to reject the results of the 2016 elections to openly challenging Trump’s legitimate right to govern the country. They have fueled the animosity towards Trump by denouncing him as a fascist, a racist, a homophobe, a misogynist and a Russian agent. The media has employed all of its prodigious powers of persuasion to relentlessly demonize Trump, and they are responsible for the highly-charged and toxic atmosphere in which a tragedy– like Saturday’s shooting– became unavoidable. They cleared the path for a confrontation in which a self-righteous perpetrator felt entirely-justified in killing an unarmed man whose only crime was that he openly supported the president of the United States. There is no way to overstate the media’s culpability in this shocking incident. The War on Cops: How t... Mac Donald, Heather Best Price: $16.73 Buy New $16.61 (as of 05:30 UTC - Details)
This was not a robbery, a mugging or a clash between gang members. It was a political “hit” executed by a remorseless assassin who believed he was fulfilling his moral obligation by exterminating someone he considered an enemy of humanity. The media is as guilty of this crime as if they had pulled the trigger themselves. The blood is on their hands.
Unsurprisingly, the killer’s colleagues — gathered in downtown Portland for their nightly rioting session– were thrilled to hear the news that a Trump supporter had been shot-dead by one of their own.
“I am not sad that a f—ing fascist died tonight,” a woman barked into a bullhorn at the downtown riot. Her statement was greeted with cheers of enthusiasm from the bloodthirsty crowd.
Earlier in the evening, the group had laid siege to a gas station protected by a frightened owner who was verbally abused and physically threatened for having the audacity to protect his own property. For this, he was spat upon and denounced as a “Nazi”, which is the moniker attached to anyone who doesn’t ascribe to the prevailing anarchist doctrine that all property is a crime and that anyone who defends himself or his belongings is an enemy of the people. Thankfully, the owner was not beaten or killed like the unlucky victim just blocks away who was fatally wounded by a man (allegedly) connected to this same group of cutthroats.
It’s worth noting, that there is evidence that the killing was both intentional and premeditated. Just seconds before the gun was fired, an accomplice, who accompanied the killer said: Killer High: A History... Andreas, Peter Best Price: $19.48 Buy New $19.49 (as of 05:30 UTC - Details)
“Hey! Hey, we got one right here! We got a Trumper right here!”
(The accomplice’s comment was recorded on Twitter.) His pronouncement was followed immediately by two gunshots which slayed the victim and sent the killer fleeing into the night. As of this writing, the killer is still “at large.” (NOTE– There are many photos of the alleged killer on Twitter who has been identified by his unusual clothes and tattoos. We will not share those photos here since we do not have any corroborating evidence.)
The shooting took place following a long day of counter-protests in which a 600-car pro-Trump caravan drove through downtown Portland touching-off a violent reaction from BLM and Antifa activists. Bags of feces and other projectiles were hurled at the flag-strewn trucks as they slowly wound through the downtown corridor. There were a number of verbal altercations and some physical dust-ups that were not reported in the media but which popped up later on Twitter. These videos provide an instructive seminar on the rapid devolution of a major American city into a dystopian Marxist free-fire zone. Portland –much like its neighbor, Seattle, to the North– has essentially detached from mainland America and become an independent Republic governed by violent extremists, radical ideologues and moonstruck anti-Trump sociopaths all of who are determined to defund the police, eliminate all institutional means for providing security to the public, and establish their own malignant mini-state based on their own skewed version of history. Regrettably, Portland’s liberal mayor and governor have been supportive of this farce from the get-go and continue to reject federal assistance from Trump. They seem to enjoy their role as stewards of thriving American city that is presently descending into anarchy and ruin. Deadly Medicines and O... Peter Gotzsche Best Price: $38.43 Buy New $33.29 (as of 07:20 UTC - Details)
The Democrats continue to believe that they can control these elemental forces of violence and mayhem and use them for their own political advantage in November when (supposedly) these hooligans will put down their Molotov cocktails long enough to vote for Joe Biden, thus, eliminating the threat of a crackdown from Donald Trump.
It could happen, but it seems increasingly unlikely. Saturday’s murder crosses a number of red lines that demand an immediate and heavy-handed response. Something must be done. Without order, there can be no commerce, no security and no civilization. Our streets belong to the American people, not a raucous mob that rules through violence and intimidation. Saturday’s murder underscores the importance of straightening this situation out fast. If the Governor is incapable of preserving the peace, then Trump should.
Reprinted with permission from The Unz Review.