Get ready for the deluge of statist, militarist, and nationalist drivel from arm-chair “patriots” this weekend, parroting the phrases they’ve been conditioned to regurgitate when prompted by certain symbols or phrases. Wave a flag or thank a vet, but whatever you do, ask no questions.

This is an issue I’ve yet to personally resolve. It’s my understanding that certain cultures do not/did not have a concept of land ownership, and I think that is the most natural way of doing things. Property rights, like so many other aspects of “modern” human civilization, are an artificial, unnatural construct. In the same way that it is immoral for a collective/state entity to claim it has borders and restrict the free movements of individuals, I think it is immoral for an individual to claim he/she “owns” land and to use force to restrict the movements of individuals upon their “property”.

There’s also the issue of how ownership is established. Individuals should be free to sell anything they own including land, but the question is how did all this land end up as being “owned”. In the case of the United States, most of the land was taken, often immorally, through treaties with indigenous tribes or other governments, and was then sold or leased by the US government to individuals or corporations. To that end, I think all property ownership in the US is immoral, and for it to continue to exist in some moral fashion, you would have to devise some kind of system where you hit the reset button and then allow everyone an opportunity to acquire property, which would mean redistribution and the use of force to some extent, and thus a big huge mess. 

I think, possibly too optimistically, that it would be possible to share land in a voluntary society, but everyone would have to be on the same page. Everyone would have to understand that we are all human beings born on this planet through no fault of our own, and all deserve the same access to the planet’s resources, and moreover, we are responsible to be the stewards and guardians of our natural environments. Humans are the only animals (that I know of) that are AWARE of the consequences of our actions, and the fact that we continue to act as if we are not is despicable. There is no denying “modern” civilization is unsustainable, yet not much is being done about it. If it were possible for everyone to achieve the same enlightened understanding about our relationship with our planet, I think it would then be possible to evolve to a bioregional voluntaryist state of human existence. 

The progress trap of technology would need to be escaped, so that we can stop pillaging the planet for non-renewable energy sources and rare minerals to build more and more consumer shit that we do not need. Not everyone wants to hunt/gather or farm for their survival, so the individuals that wish to do so would be allowed to use the land to that end, and could voluntarily engage with individuals who pursue other goals to trade for goods/services. Individuals would understand that having a huge fuck-off mansion is ridiculous, and so would be fine living in smaller dwellings which would require less space, less resources, and less land. Individuals would be free to live communally as well, as cultures without the concept of land ownership tend to do. 

So I guess to answer your question, ultimately I do not believe in property ownership. However, to achieve the goals I have for my life, which are to become as self-sufficient and independent as possible, I will probably end up owning property, so that I can grow my own food and be left the fuck alone. Unless the State collapses though, I will still be forced to pay property taxes, which are another egregious transgression on behalf of the State. You never really own your land, you just rent it from the government - a government which is free to take your land whenever it wants through ‘eminent domain’. 

Nobody owns the planet, but for some reason people think you can own pieces of it. If your neighbor’s dog shits in your yard, you’re probably going to get mad and talk to him about it. But if Exxon dumps a shit ton of oil into a river, not a lot of people go knocking on Exxon’s door, and that’s just sad. 

I think if you are going to own land, you should only “own” as much as you can use. There’s no need to own 1000000 acres if you don’t farm any of it and just fuck around and are rich as shit. Just the same as you don’t need to own a fucking Hummer or a private jet. Some people think there is freedom in being able to consume to excess. I think it’s a travesty. I’m not going to tell you you can’t do it, but I will ask you to consider the consequences of your actions, which is something not enough people do.

mediaite:

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Asks Atheist Tornado Survivor If She ‘Thanked The Lord’

stayceerantsandraves:

maladjustedxvx:

annadraconida:

This is an animal dying on a fur farm in China. It grew up in a barren cage the size of a newspaper, living off meat processing waste deemed unfit even for pet food production. When it reached adult size, it was yanked out of the cage and received a couple of blows to the head, after which it was hung upside down & slowly skinned alive. After the fur was pulled off over its head, the agonizing body was thrown onto a pile of carcasses, where it expired in the most horrible way you can (or should I say, can’t) imagine.

Besides bludgeoning, the killing methods on fur farms include gassing, electrocution, poisoning with strychnine, or breaking the animals’ necks. Most of these methods don’t exclude the possibility of the animal regaining consciousness while its fur is being… removed.

This is the true cost of a “fabulous”, “glamorous” fur coat or collar, not the amount of money on the price tag.

Smash the face of every piece of shit fur industry supporter out there.

People think I am lying when I say animals survive the “killing” process frequently.  I’m guessing that the videographer didn’t have to wait a long time for this shot. 

Internal cost estimates from 17 of the nation’s largest insurance companies indicate that health insurance premiums will grow an average of 100 percent under Obamacare, and that some will soar more than 400 percent, crushing the administration’s goal of affordability. New regulations, policies, taxes, fees and mandates are the reason for the unexpected rate shock, according to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which released a report Monday based on internal documents provided by the insurance companies. The 17 companies include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser Foundation.

Wonderful. So I either have to pay double what I’m paying now for my health insurance through my employer, or if I opt out of the policy now because the rates are going to increase, isn’t there some sort of fun tax/penalty/fine I get to pay to the government? 

priceofliberty:

come to your house shortly after midnight to conduct an interview? Why wouldn’t they be professional about this and come during the day?

Why is the mainstream media using the phrase “early Wednesday morning” when that obviously doesn’t conjure the same image as “shortly after midnight” which is when this even happened?

The event wasn’t a “shootout,” either.

trolololol all this propaganda, all these scandals and there hasn’t been a single uprising in this nation. I won’t go outside now to do anything, what could I do as a solitary actor besides get arrested for a “crime” and be painted as a criminal, or worse, a terrorist?

People are lapping this up already.

thefreelioness:

artfoulcreator:

Hungary has taken a stand against biotech giant Monsanto and genetic modification by destroying 1000 acres of maize grown with genetically modified seeds.

I’m glad someone is taking action!

I’m gonna play devil’s advocate here and say this was dumb.  While I am all for (and envious of) the countries actually ousting Monsanto, this is wasteful.  The food could have been donated to needy people.  

That’d be kinda classist, wouldn’t it? Here poor folks, take this GMO trash that is unfit for the consumption of people with more money. Moreover, are we certain this was food-grade corn? A lot of this shit is inedible and solely grown for corn syrup. Lastly, the corn may have not been ready to harvest yet. 

The FBI has been tracking a Chechen martial arts practitioner in FL, Ibragim Todashev, since the Boston Marathon attack. The guy knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev from Boston and reportedly had a phone conversation with him “more than a month ago” (which still would put it shortly before the attack). Todashev — who got in a serious fight in a parking lot earlier this month — had recently booked a flight to NY, with plans to travel on to Chechnya.

So, after having interviewed him yesterday, the FBI decided to interview him again around midnight last night.

It didn’t end well.

The FBI said Ibragim Todashev was shot and killed just after midnight at 6022 Peregrine Avenue in the Windhover Apartments near Universal Orlando.

“The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties. The suspect is deceased,” FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier told Local 6.

John Miller, the former FBI assistant director who now works for CBS News, said the FBI was trying to re-question Todashev at his apartment when “something went wrong.” Miller said the FBI agent fired shots, but details of the incident have not yet been released and it’s not known if Todashev had a gun.

This will bear watching.

Seems legit.

The state meters out “progress” so as not to upset the status quo. Like letting people vote. Wow, what an amazing gift from the government! Today, even women and people with black skin can help white males pick who is going to rule us from a pre-selected list of candidates. It’s like feudalism, but with one or two more options. Now that’s what I call progress.

theamericankid:

Koala’s response to being petted

> Things like this really brighten up my day, never enough awww on tbfs.

fuckyeahmarxismleninism:

Iraqi officials have found three mass graves containing the bodies of about 1,000 people thought to have been executed by US soldiers during their occupation of the country.

The graves were uncovered in Iraq’s western province of al-Anbar. The remains are believed to be from victims killed by US forces during 2004 and 2005 in the city of Fallujah, located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of Baghdad.