Per Bylund's Columns
Between state governments and the federal government. Column by Per Bylund.
Recommended "So what are the black-clad youngsters so filled with hatred and so prone to destroy? They call themselves anarchists, but they are the embodiment of the statist principle: 'do as I say – or else.' The masked hordes rioting the streets calling for anarchy want power; they want the power to do as they please, and they want the power to separate action from responsibility. They want the freedom to act – without consequence. They demand respect from others in the sense of fear, obedience and subjection rather than appreciation and admiration; they want to be the state and control its powers." Column by Per Bylund.
Recommended "Libertarians engaging in a political campaign to have someone elected have from my point of view given up their claim on liberty; they are no longer striving for liberty as number one, but are working to give someone power to liberate them. Is this really a way forward? Is it to love liberty to give it up?" Column by Per Bylund.
"The
Ron Paul effect is thus not only advertising a libertarian view, it also seems
to claim it is possible to make libertarianism a part of the two-party system
– and that it should be. And it
preaches that the powers of the state can be tamed and even used as a tool to
reintroduce liberty in
"So why do all these anarchist websites everywhere offer moderated forums? The only reason I can think of is that the people who run the forums are blueprint anarchists – they don’t want to abolish control, structure, and system; they want to replace the state with their own 'superior' system. And they don’t want to allow people who are not already dedicated to The Cause to express their ideas. As always with statism, people who think differently must be silenced and excluded. Or eliminated." Column by Per Bylund.
Inequality Is the Threat to Liberty
"The existence of power means there is inequality, and with inequality there cannot be justice. As long as there is someone who can pretend to be the master and take the right to call someone else his slave, there is no room for liberty." Column by Per Bylund.
The Hijacking of the Nobel Prize
"Unfortunately, Alfred Nobel...did not realize politics is the reason for wars and destruction – not dynamite – and that only political and state powers, not individuals, engage in and wage wars. This ignorance of the meaning of state power is obvious...." Column by Per Bylund.
"...anarchism is a message of peace and harmony – an ideal of non-structure, non-system, non-hierarchy, and non-force. How could that translate into burning and destroying people’s possessions and violently aggressing on whoever happens to be within reach?" Column by Per Bylund.
The Old Right vs. the New Right?
"The divide in the GOP is thus much, much greater than it seems to be. These two unconformable schools of thought, claimed to be two kinds of conservatisms, are really the thesis and antithesis – with no hope of synthesis." Column by Per Bylund.
" The interest to keep the constitution intact – and thereby keep government to a certain level – will always stand back to the special interest to boost power. The reason for this is that the constitution is a general interest, whereas power is always specific. And specific interests will always triumph over general interests, simply because specific interests need to be – and are – fought for, whereas general interests are often victims due to their 'tragically common' nature." Column by Per Bylund.
"We’re all terrorists and enjoy what’s left of our liberties only as far as we don’t speak up, speak out, or start asking questions. The state, we will learn, sooner or later, is protecting itself--as well as its privileged class and its vast powers--from its citizenry." Column by Per Bylund.
"The world of the state has made people believe that only the complex and hard to understand solutions are worth considering. Simple solutions don’t work. Problems cannot be solved at the lower level; the beauty of contemporary society is in its hierarchical superstructures – the state is needed to supervise, plan, convince, force, and make decisions. Only from society’s core can one establish superior knowledge, engage in extensive planning, and form centers of power to enforce solutions to complex problems." Column by Per Bylund.
The Statist Mindset of Anarchists
"It seems many anarchists can’t think out of the box: they want something 'instead of' the state, and so they put a lot of thought into making plans and defining what society they would want to see. The problem is that they think so much about this dream of theirs that they get stuck in the system they call anarchism. But anarchism isn’t a system, it is non-system. Anarchism is spontaneous order, not contrived order." Column by Per Bylund.
"Why does 51% have a right over 49%? Why do you say the few always have to adjust to the many? Why is an opinion 'right' simply because many share it? Why doesn’t everybody’s views count? Why cannot voting ever be a bad thing?" Column by Per Bylund.
"The
only difference between Europe and America, as far as I can tell, is that the
states of
Creating a Calculated Revolution--in Your Neighborhood
"What I suggest is simply learning from the failures of both strategies: politics doesn’t work, and radical change without public support doesn’t either. The logical conclusion must be to avoid both as much possible: to quit and stay as far away as possible from politics, and to progress slowly through convincing people one at a time. This can all be done through education...." Column by Per Bylund.
A Personal Thanks to Strike The Root
"This is my most fundamental moral conviction. No one is my master, and I am no one’s master. No one is my slave and I am no one’s slave. And this, the morality of being anarchist and thus respecting each and everybody’s right to choose for themselves, is the fixed point of anarchism." Column by Per Bylund.
Free Market Thinking: Not Applicable
"In
a world of left and right, libertarians should fit nicely somewhere in-between
or – even better – in a neither-nor position. But still libertarians tend
to identify much more with the right wing in politics rather than with the
left wing. How is this so?" Column by Per Bylund.
Statist Reasoning: Not Me, But Everybody Else
"The problem here is of course that people aren’t much different; they aren’t irrational, aggressive, and violent. Rather, they are all very much the same—and they all believe “everybody else” would do something horrible if there is no one forcing them in the right direction." Column by Per Bylund.
Statist Reasoning: Non-Freedom for Non-Voters
"The interesting point in this is that one, according to this logic, seems to earn a right to complain from the act of voting. Or, in other words, you earn a right to be dissatisfied with the people elected to rule you only if you have taken part in the electing!" Column by Per Bylund.
"[Voters] may feel like victims now and then, but it is their system and their policies and they support it by voting. Voters are the people who effectively maintain political power over society and thereby over you. Even though you, being a non-voter, have nothing to do with their system and don’t support it in any way, they claim the right to force you to comply with whatever rules they see fit. It is 'democratic,' you see. They vote and decide what to do with your life and your property; they say it is 'freedom,' and in a way it is – their freedom to force you to comply with their rules." Column by Per Bylund.
"I don't have a television set. When I tell people of this, they usually think I’m crazy: 'How the hell can you do without television?' Well, it’s easy, especially with my libertarian convictions and anarchist morality. I haven’t missed a moment of TV gawking since I threw the set out." Column by Per Bylund. (editor's note: I own a TV, but haven't had any reception in many years. I still see lots of movies and documentaries on DVD with my projector and surround sound system--I just project the picture onto a blank wall. It works great!)
"It is the former, the people who make the wrong choices, who are the true heroes of the market, since they are the ones who dared trying and who took the chance (but bet on the wrong horse). They are also the ones who can more easily get up again when they fall, and they pose an example to everybody else: Don’t do what I did. Thanks to them, most people don’t have to make the same mistake. Everybody learns, thus everybody’s better off." Column by Per Bylund.
How to Establish a Government - Lesson 4: Learning from the Great Men
The last of a four-part series by Per Bylund.
How to Establish a Government - Lesson Three: Dealing With Rebellions
"When you are sure you have regained your position as righteous ruler, do not forget the people in the rebellion questioned your power and acted on the belief that your power is unjust. Respond in Machiavellian terms—crush them with no mercy whatsoever." Part Three in a series by Per Bylund.
How to Establish a Government - Lesson Two: Maintaining Power
"Now, how do we maintain the lie that the groups with real power are really subdued by others? We need to enforce the lie through making up new illusions and pointing out new sources of evil." Part Two in a series by Per Bylund.
How to Establish a Government - Lesson 1: The Basics
"This first lesson on how to become or be a government could also be called How To Trick People Into Eagerly Rejecting Their Right To And Power Over Their Own Lives And Willingly Subject Their Whole Worlds To You." The first in a four-part series by Per Bylund, who was recently mentioned by Rush Limbaugh on his show as a result of writing this column.
Saving the World Through Saving Yourself
"It is not possible to make the world libertarian. One cannot force freedom on others; it would not be freedom but force. One cannot strengthen or empower others through forcing them to make choices; it would be to subject them to your will (that they must choose) rather than someone else’s. One cannot abolish or lessen power through claiming it for oneself; politics is not a means to achieve freedom from politics." Column by Per Bylund.
An Uncivilized Argument for Anarchy
"Also, whoever came up with the idea of presenting a blueprint for anarchy? The very idea of a free society is that there can be no blueprint! That is what free means; you cannot make society into something of your preference." Column by Per Bylund.
Column by Per Bylund.
Katrina and the Battered Statist Syndrome
"It seems there is no end to how much beating these people can take....They still return to the source of this domestic violence demanding it to 'do more.' Like any victim of the Battered Woman Syndrome, they refuse to admit that they have been beaten or that there is something fundamentally wrong here: 'It was an accident.' They offer excuses for the beating, they blame themselves, and they have to convince themselves that 'it won’t happen again'." Column by Per Bylund.
Is There a Chance for Freedom?
"one thing that could happen is that people without the improved gene start getting jealous. Perhaps the hunger and frustration of these poor creatures sooner or later turned into hatred towards the people better off, in time developing into a call for 'revenge.' These people start banding together in order to steal from the creative and prosperous. A new genetic change comes along and sticks among these warmongers, and there you go: the social, or 'government,' gene!" Column by Per Bylund.
"This is perhaps the most devilish characteristic of the state: politicians causing problems and then calling for people’s support so that they can be corrected through new policies, more authority, and even bigger government." Column by Per Bylund.
"The nine million people sleeping comfortably during the 'insignificant' minute when May 30 turned into June 1 should have had nightmares. The world they fell asleep in was very different from the world they in which they awoke. One insignificant minute and their freedom was again circumscribed, their tax burden was increased, and the guns of government gained additional influence." Column by Per Bylund.
"People are generally aware of these facts but still refuse to put the pieces together. This is what is real terrifying—the ignorance brought about by government’s immeasurable success in brainwashing people. How else would you explain people rushing to vote for the guy in charge, just weeks after their sons and daughters were killed protecting some untold State interests in a country never heard of?" Column by Per Bylund.
"Many societies have tried to implement freedom and liberty in institutions and power structures, so as to guarantee that it will last over time. Their move was fatal, and the effect: the total death of every syllable of freedom. Why? Because freedom cannot move upwards." Column by Per Bylund.
"As
a result of the seemingly endless reports on the 'bad economic
state' of the Swedish government, government agencies are
competing to get public recognition so that they can get a larger
share of next year’s state budget. This 'health warning' is
but part of a campaign for the National Food Administration, using
the media." Column by Per Bylund.
"The
problem here is that voting also generates costs in other areas. You are
automatically registered with the state as a voter (we can also call it 'supporter
of the system'). In the
"This is the beauty of being anarchist: We leave to everybody to form their own life and their own society the way they prefer and would like it. So there is a place in anarchist society for everybody: statist or non-statist, collectivist or individualist, property owner or non-property socialist, money users or non-money, and so on." Column by Per Bylund.
The Liberation of the Middle East
"The Iraqi people should be glad to finally get rid of Saddam Hussein, but they are heading the wrong way; from a clear and present danger to the constant surveillance and indirect oppression of Big Brother Democracy." Column by Per Bylund.
Here, Please Read My Pamphlet!, Part II
"It can be a lot of work trying to keep everything from the stinking tentacles of the government, but it doesn’t have to be. What you are doing when trying a libertarian life is actually a double treat: Not only do you live a life as you would like to live it--a morally acceptable life--but you also keep your money away from the government, thereby fighting its powers." Column by Per Bylund.
Here, Please Read My Pamphlet!
"I believe the libertarian idea is as powerful as we think, but we need to live it, not just say it. There is no point in putting energy and effort into creating new libertarians if you cannot show them how to really be one. You cannot be a slave to the system while preaching to end such slavery; that is hypocrisy. Attracting people to the libertarian idea is useless if they do not become libertarians – in everyday life as well as in spirit." Column by Per Bylund.
"Our world is falling prey to the terrors following collectivism and mysticism. This is what people in the future will call the Endarkening: the destructive era following the productive centuries of Enlightenment and Industrialization." Column by Per Bylund.
"As I see it, the news reporting media of today is for the most part simply a function of government having been outsourced to private corporations. News about government and government policy is simply advertising for the politics in action." Column by Per Bylund.
"...the fight between the state and the market, or the left vs. the free-marketeers, is really a struggle between two philosophies of life. The left believes people are stupid and need to be corrected for their own good through the use of force. (The people of the left usually identify themselves as fit for this task.)" Column by Per Bylund.
Competition in Private Justice
"The main difference between the rules of contemporary states and regions, and individual property owners is that the latter has no interest in regulating every part of your life. A property owner will make up rules only to protect the property and safety of people, while the state claims control of your income, consumer and social behavior, property, family structure, etc. The rules enforced on private property, as is the case today, are much less detailed and less comprehensive than the rules of a monopolistic state power." Column by Per Bylund.
"The part of the truth Lord Acton did not realize when stating 'power corrupts' is that the corrupted seek power. Only people not able to grow tall from their own efforts and achievements seek to subdue their fellow man; only people not being able to find comfort in their own mind seek to silence others; those who are unable to produce their own wealth aim to confiscate the wealth of others." Column by Per Bylund.
The Spontaneous Redistribution of Wealth, Part I I
"Liberty naturally evolves into a situation of equality that benefits all, while a socialist system necessarily is divided into two classes: those using coercion (the political class), and those being coerced." Column by Per Bylund.
The Spontaneous Redistribution of Wealth, Part I
"Put in the terms used by the Left, the market is mainly about distributing the costs among those who can bear them." Column by Per Bylund.
Contemporary Western Religion: Democracy
"The democratic system of rule is only different to monarchy and other totalitarian systems in practice, not in principle. Society was and still is under the burden of the State’s monopoly of violence and coercion. The real change is from one ruling class to another; from subjects to voting subjects. Thus, the real change in thinking is from a 'divine right' of kings to a 'divine right' of the majority." Column by Per Bylund.
"The conclusion of this fundamental question whether man is inherently good or evil is that there is no place for a state – no matter what we consider being the fundamental qualities of man. Either man is good, which means there is no need for government, or man is evil, which means there is no hope of forming a government." Column by new Root Striker Per Bylund.