The Weekend Vigilante

Hello from Montreal,

It has been an enjoyable conference here in Montreal.  Thank you to all the vigilantes that turned out, we were surprised to learn how many french Canadians are readers!  We were also interested to find out directly from them that while they dislike government, they were not in favor of the "separation" movement of the past few decades.  For those that don't know, the province of Quebec has considered separating from Canada on a few different occassions.  In 1980 they held a referendum and separation was turned down by 60% of the Quebec populace.  They tried again in another referendum in 1995 and the "no" vote won, but only by a 50.6% to 49.4% margin.

Being an anarchist, people are often surprised that I am in favor of more governments.  In fact, I think the optimal amount of governments in the world today is 7 billion.  So, in the past, I was in favor of Quebec separation.  But, in recent days, I've been educated by numerous Quebecois that the separatist movement was even more socialist than your average Canadian.  They were relieved that Quebec did not separate because, in their view, it would have become an even more socialist, almost communist, region... which is saying alot because Canada is already very socialist.

WHO NEEDS SLAVEMASTERS WHEN YOU HAVE SLAVES?

While I've enjoyed meeting many freedom minded people here in Montreal, they are certainly the exception.  Canadians, as a whole, are excellent slaves.  They barely need any police or government to keep them in line because they absolutely love all the rules or are at least completely oblivious to their own enslavement.

Last night I offered to buy a waitress a drink.  She grimaced, "I'd love to but I can't."  I asked her why.  She told me, "It's illegal", and then pointed up to one of numerous cameras that were watching her.  She walked off without giving it another thought.  I then pulled out my electric cigarette and nearly caused a riot.  Everywhere I went, Canadians became livid.  The appearance of smoking inside of a bar or restaurant is detected, almost immediately, by everyone.  The reactions ran from people giving me dirty looks, to others telling me I can't smoke inside and on numerous occassions management was called over to deal with me.

The funniest was when one bartendress was so angry that she called her boss.  The boss came over, and was actually quite cordial upon finding out it was electronic and water vapor based and he just asked me to "not do it so obviously" because it was whipping the extremely law adherent Canadians into a frenzy.  The bartendress who had called over the manager was so angry that I was allowed to continue to smoke that she said, "That's a stupid cigarette!" and stormed off.  She was probably angry that electronic cigarettes are not taxed at the same ludicrous rate as are real cigarettes to pay for her "free healthcare".  A carton of cigarettes that costs $29.24 ends up costing between $70-$108 in Canada after the Federal Excise duty, Provincial tax and the Goods and Services Tax (according to the Non-Smokers Rights Association).

I'll be leaving tomorrow, they'll be happy to know, so they can continue on with their self enslavement in peace.  For those in the San Francisco area, we'll be at the San Francisco Hard Assets show next week on November 27th and 28th.

CANADA IS THE SAUDI ARABIA OF.... WAX!

Sticking with the Canadian theme, here is a hilarious clip from a Canadian television show called the Rick Mercer Report poking fun at how people want to reduce almost every major form of energy production, but still want energy.  Those in Germany, who shutdown all their nuclear power plants days after the Fukushima disaster due to the newly recognized risk of tsunamis to nuclear power production in mostly landlocked Germany, should pay close attention to this video.  After Russia turns off their gas this may be a look at their future.  (Thanks to Jim Letourneau and his excellent "Big Picture Speculator" blog for bringing this to our attention)

TRIUMPH THE INSULT COMIC AT OCCUPY WALL STREET

Conan O'Brien had some fun this week with the Occupy Wall Street crowd in this funny video:

PUBLIC SCHOOL BLUES

I recently had an interesting conversation with an anarchist, Chris H., who works with the great Mises Institute of Canada and he brought up something that I hadn't realized.  He stated that so many people are becoming anarchists now that it is also attracting a lot of the more liberal/artsy types.  He stated that many of the graphics, such as the one above about slavery, have come about because many artist types are becoming anarchists and they are creating all of this great artwork that, for the most part, we did not have in the past.

I thought of this comment when I came across this video.  If you didn't listen to the words of the song, or her calling herself an anarchist, most people would guess she was a "liberal".  She has that artsy look and she is creative and talented - so many of the traits normally associated with liberal artists... so, look forward to lots of interesting and creative anarchist messages in the years ahead, like this one, making fun of the public school system.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

And finally, here is an insightful article about how capitalism works in the statist world we live in today (click here to enlarge):

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND

That's all for this week.  Have a great weekend!

Comments

[Jay]

LOL. I did not realize that weinyness factor of the Canadiens, well at least some. But I have to admit, no worse than the United Police States of Fascist America.

[DevislPrinciples]

Max Keiser is still a hoser and I have no clue who Jason Hamlin is, nor do I care to know.

[Terry McDonald]

What a great laugh and great links - thank you Jeff.

Comment on comment about Max Keiser being a hoser - agree or disagree with Max - Max is fighting with a passion. What are you doing to help other than commenting? (out of all due respect - and I mean this within the spirit of A Mohandas Movement = A Gandhi Outcome).

After the battle is over towards gaining true individual freedom worldwide - feel FREE to agree to disagree - argue to your hearts content - but right now we need a united group of 7 billion individuals.

Free-market thinking is what I am waking up to. Everyday - every moment is a re-awakening. That will never stop as long as I breath - Max and Jeff and Ed and Doug Casey and Anthony Wile and and and and -. and to repeat Jeff - 7 billion governments is the penultimate goal.

However - not everyone agrees that that is THE way. If you believe that free-market thinking is the ONLY way - that is replacing elite thinking with elite thinking which cuts out potential for a better system or idea or - well the word potential I think says it best - a process not an event. Just because I think free-market thinking is best does not mean it IS the best - just best for me - that's the point [sorry for belabouring it).

Join the fight - do something as an individual governor that helps. Do not disparage another warrior fighting the fight in "their own way" - especially one who does so with every fibre of his being like say, Alex Jones - putting everything on the line (agree or disagree again - I don't agree with everything each of them believe - but I learn so much from them the disagreeing is so minor it's moot).

So - ask yourself - are you fighting with that kind of passion? -

"Your own way" is the only way as is Max's. He deserves respect from all if nothing else. And should be listened to carefully for what one can learn - he makes a lot of sense if you cut your ego and ingrained prejudices out (Stephan Molyneux is great for helping one with that).

All the best with your individual journey - T.

P.S. Jeff - I was at a birthday party in north Toronto where the host spent $700.00 - Woodbine Racetrack. I was given a coupon to cash in on the slot machines - when I tried to do so security eyed me up and down - a second checked me out - and then the cashier asked me for I.D. - I am 57 years old - what business do they have asking me for I.D. - no doubt the cameras were following me carefully as I attempted to make good on a chit that their overseers gave me ( in hopes of inducing me to spend my money - which I did not).

Businesses harassing their own customers - incredible.

Canada - home of the free - yah, right.

Man, this country sure isn't the one I thought I was born into. Free-market thinking is waking me up - with a jolt! -

Better late than never sure rings true here.

[Bill Lodderhose]

Jeff, we're on the same page. I've enjoyed both of the Max Keiser posts of course, however you really cracked me up with your story about trying to buy the waitress a drink or pulling out your electronic cigarette. Just these little details are what I've been trying for over twenty years to talk with people in my country about. It started, for me at least in the mid-1980's when they passed "seatbelt" laws, which gave the police the "right" to pull you over and begin the "little getting to know you..." routine.
Some said, Oh, that's a good thing, look how many people die by not wearing their seatbelt. Granted, some people do die, however, my response was (and remember this was about 25years ago), it appears to me if this issue was so important WHY wouldn't they immediately install seat belts on every public Bus and race to install them on a School Bus, because isn't the reason they say they do everything is to protect the "kids".
Not by a long shot, it was just one of the million of little laws they were changing on the way to their dream of a Police State. Here we are 25 years later and the lobsters (citizens) still don't notice the boiling water getting hotter. ~thanks.

[mava]

Keep in mind, Jeff, these artists, the only anarchism they will ever accept, is the kind that denies the private property, in other words, they take the idealistic communism without government and call it anarchism. Ultimately, they are drawn to anarchism, because they perceive it as "lawless", as they never associate themselves and their own failure at life, as being one and the same, consequence of believing from childhood that they are 1 in a billion (in a bad sense).