"Violence And Anarchism: A Polemic," edited by Vernon Richards

Posted by Maphesdus 10 years, 8 months ago to Books
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Just got this book, and it's very interesting. The history of South Africa is something that I really didn't know anything about, and reading about the racial apartheid policies imposed by the National Party, under the leadership of white supremacist Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd, is very enlightening.

Knowing this history about South Africa makes it more clear to me why Nelson Mandela is so celebrated.
SOURCE URL: http://www.amazon.com/Violence-And-Anarchism-Vernon-Richards/dp/0900384700/


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  • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 10 years, 8 months ago
    Those who want political change before philosophical change have been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. History proves that assassination never changes anything. The election of a New Leader seldom changes anything. The Reagan Revolution was an interesting and important exception - but only if you accept that it represented an actual _change_ and not an _ascendency_. (Nixon was a liberal and did not represent the "Cowboy" faction of the Republican Party.) Reagan stood in opposition to Bush, former UN Ambassador and former CIA Director whose father, Sen. Prescott Bush of Connecticut, was implicated in a fascist "Wall Street" putsch.

    But if you look at the czars, anarchists threw a bomb at Alexander II and expected the young liberal Nicholas II to institute reforms. That did not happen and 25 years later, the Bolsheviks executed Nicholas and his family.

    Same with the Pope. Everyone thought that when Named the Roman Numeral died, that Reformer the Roman Numeral would be better. But the 1871 Paris Commune and whatever else sort of scotched that.

    Then, there was McKinley... The Wall Street bombing of 12:01 pm on Thursday, September 16, 1920 changed nothing.

    Change comes from IDEAS. Politics rests on epistemology and metaphysics. Those who want political change before philosophical change have been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub0nykvHR...



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    • Posted by MattFranke 10 years, 8 months ago
      +1 Well said Mike. People trying to treat symptoms instead of causes will always fall short, whether its a doctor, politician, or an idealist.

      I can't remember the author of the quote, "For every hundred men hacking at the branches of evil, there is only one hacking at its roots."
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