Maturity and the State.

I have recently [not so recently now, I left this post as a draft for a long time] been accused of "an impersonation of a spoiled brat" for refusing to take responsibility for the actions of my government. This is a common complaint about the enemies of the State, that they are not mature enough to accept things they ought to. So let us examine the accusation against me in particular and libertarians or anarchists in general.

The reason that "axiomiser" claimed I was immature was I would neither "shut the fuck up and accept the majority vote" or "make some effort to change peoples mind". I was under the impression that I was already doing the latter but let's examine whether this is a reason to accept responsibility for my government.

Let's assume that I can convince 100 people each in Australia, the UK and the US to vote for the candidate that most opposed the war in Iraq. Bear in mind I have NEVER convinced anywhere near this many people to do anything. This is what axiomiser was so upset that I would not accept responsibility for. Of these about half would have voted for that party anyway on other policies. Assuming a two party system and that each person has a 50/50 chance of voting for each party the chance of one vote changing the election is approximately 3/(number of voters). So basically bugger all chance of it EVER happening on a national level. Some chance perhaps that I could change one seat but that rarely changes who forms a government.

So given that I can't change the government, why must I accept responsibility for it? I can't change whether my mother's labor was painful should I accept responsibility for that? I can't change the mind of a terrorist, should I appologise for 9/11? I can't change my socks, should I be blamed if they stink? Oh wait I can change my socks, just a minute... Ok, that's better. But you see the difference, right? Socks, changable by me so I should accept them, or change them. Majority vote not acceptable by me so I need do neither. But the "axiomiser" can't accept this, because he's a spoiled brat. He thinks that he should be given what he wants and everyone should shut up about it. In fact that's what the State is, an attempt to get everyone to shut up about the rights and wrongs of giving the big boy what he wants. Maturity does not consist or resignation to the acts of bullies. It consists of acceptance of reality, and while reality says that the bullies win here, now, it also says that I don't like it. For those that don't wish to hear this, GROW UP!

Ron Paul is a conspiracy theorist, are you?

There is a popular saying that if there are two explanations for an event, conspiracy and incompetence, go for the incompetence explanation every time. The problem with this idea is that it's obviously untrue. If a candidate you dislike had recieved political donations from a neo-nazi and failed to report them in accordance with the law, which explaination would you go for? I thought so. Welcome to the "conspiracy theorists" club then, meetings are rarely held and only attended by police spies.

Yet membership in this club is somehow looked down apon as unhealthy, even insane. It's as though no sane person would say that conspiracies happen, and yet every day we see people behaving as though they did. Do act as though everything your government says to be true or do you assume that some of it is lies and distortion? Of course you act as though they lie, which is why you like investigative reporting? How about other governments? Do you get your news about countries from their governments press office or do you prefer that someone digs deeper? Do you think that political parties are engaged in a quest to show you the truth or to spin it? Of course in all cases you answered "cynically" to all these questions. Your beliefs and behaviour were in all cases that of a "conspiracy theorist", yet you are ashamed of it! If asked you'll deny it why?

Well isn't the answer obvious? People have acted in concert to make you feel that way. And have the done so openly or claimed to be merely expressing "common sense"? Yep that's right, it's a
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