Anarcho-capitalism

I’m not a fan of conspiracy theories, but I do like reading them from time to time. My favorite conspiracy theory was the doomsday Y2K mumbo jumbo. I saved my customers hundreds of thousands of dollars by helping them ignore the Y2K concerns — most of my industry market needed little more than a Windows update to overcome concern. Sure, some markets required major code rewriting, but my customers did not. My competitors who made huge profits on lying to their customers soon found themselves without work when their customers realized they had a non-problem that they paid huge invoices for.

Daniel Ellsberg has released the most recent conspiracy theory that is grabbing attention: he said that the U.S. government was capable of carrying out the 9/11 attacks.¹

I’m a fan of Ellsberg since high school. 15 years ago I had to do a report for my European History class. Ellsberg’s Pentagon Papers was the turning point for me — it convinced me to give up my Republican beliefs for an apolitical lifestyle. I was writing a paper advocating government’s requirement in pursuing war, and it was the Pentagon Papers that proved to me that government never cares about anything but more power and control. I failed that final assignment (and received a “D” in that class because of it) in a debate over discussing the Pentagon Papers with the class. My teacher refused to bring up the topic, so I refused to complete the assignment.

Ellsberg’s Pentagon Papers were confidential and top secret documents on the Vietnam war that he copied and published. I believe that the government can never have the right to any information or technology that the people don’t have. Some say that government needs top secret priviledge in order to defend the citizens, but I think the best way to defend the citizens is to give them any information they need to protect their property and their lives. If the government knows of a plot to take down a building, let us know about it. Who can better protect their workplace or their home: bureaucratic defense groups or individuals who can take the time to secure their properties and watch out for those looking to commit a crime?

Government never has the right to secrets — and they never have the right to compel individuals to tell their secrets.

I’m not sure I put much faith into Ellsberg’s conspiracy theory, but we’ll never really know. I’ve always believed that the best government is one that is publicly accountable 100% of the time. I truly believe that if one wants to be a politician, they should submit to 100% public display of their lives all the time. Can you imagine how much money the cable channel would make that follows politicians around 100% of the time, recording each conversation, each party, each political crony asking for help? They may not air much, but I can see huge profits to be made in following them all around. If you want to restrict government power, don’t do it by voting, do it by spying on your politicians all the time. They can’t get bribes with that camera rolling, and they can’t give preferential treatment when all can see it being done. Nixon learned that lesson because he spied on himself, what would today’s politician do if they were always being watched? What kind of leaders would even run for election if they knew their entire lives as a politician would be watched 24/7, with the best excerpts shown on TV?

Ellsberg’s Pentagon Papers are one of the most important study guides to read, especially if you are pro-government for any reason. The Vietnam war can be blamed on both parties — both sides had reason to support the war, no matter what they said on camera for or against it. Maybe Ellsber is right about 9/11, maybe he’s not. But I do like what he has to say: if the U.S. launches a war against Iran, question each and every “terrorist attack” that may occur before or after it. Even better, demand that the government release all top secret information immediately, so that individuals can take care to secure their lives and their properties in order to deter all the madmen of the world from considering an attack against anyone in the country.

Can you imagine how much information is out there that would prove of government’s collusions in so many conspiracies? Why can’t it be released? The law prevents whistleblowers from telling the public of government’s affairs. This is unacceptable in a so-called free society.

We can be an example of an unstoppable power not through huge weapons of mass destruction and the treat to use them against others — we can be an example of an unstoppable power by degrading the idea of a powerful nation into the idea of 300 million individuals all ready and willing to protect their properties. Taking down 1 nation is easy; taking down 300 million individuals is impossible. Look at Vietnam for proof of that — and Vietnam was a drop in the well compared to our population today. I’m not asking you to believe in conspiracies — I don’t. I’m asking you to believe in the facts, which we can only find if we’re allowed to.

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