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Bitcoin Fueled Contest Entries
The essays received for the Bitcoin Fueled Content Contest are linked-to below, in the order that they were received. The text below the link includes a couple of excerpts from the author and a couple of my own comments.
All authors have been contacted and asked for their mailing address so that they can be sent outreach materials like Cop Block flyers and stickers as well as their choice of a hoodie from CopBlock.org/Store.
Here’s the rest of the contest criteria:
- Authors of the top four submissions will be asked to submit four more articles – on topics or incidents of their choice – during the month of February, all of which will be posted on CopBlock.org. The four articles can be submitted at any time interval in the month of February, depending on what the author’s schedule allows. The deadline for submission of these four articles is 11:59 pm EST on February 28, 2014. Upon completion of all four articles in the specified time frame, the author will receive $100 in Bitcoin.
- In early March, all four pieces by each of the four authors will be included on one post, and CopBlock.org readers will be asked to vote on the author they believe most on-point. The poll will be live for one week (though the post itself will remain for as long as the site is online). The author with the most votes will receive an additional $200 in Bitcoin. The author with the second most votes will receive an additional $100 in Bitcoin. The author with the third most votes will receive an additional $50 in Bitcoin.
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Help Wanted
http://www.copblock.org/help-wanted
by DEO
Though examples given are drawn from his native Cleveland, Deo points-out that such situations – people being wronged by those who swore an oath to protect – are occurring everywhere. He makes clear that what happened to Kelly Thomas (beating death, no repercussions levied at those responsible from inside-their-system avenues) could happen to anyone. And he’s right.
Yet, Deo isn’t all doom-and-gloom. He’s been really active online and around his hometown and has seen the impact had through transparency and connecting with like-minded people, especially with tools (cameras) now available to many.
The camera that is found in almost every phone on the streets is capable of capturing the condescending attitudes of the police. We see that they think they are above the law, and superior to us citizens. The camera has become the great equalizer in bringing these encounters to light
And his conclusion is right on the mark:
Whether it is illegal parking, or murder, badges do NOT grant extra rights! The issue of police accountability needs to be addressed. We can no longer allow these killer cops to run rampant over our civil liberties. We must be the ones to hold them accountable, because they obviously won’t do it themselves! Pay attention, because the police state? IT’S HERE! Get involved before it gets you!
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Fighting Fascism: A brief history of America and ways to stop the Police State
http://www.copblock.org/fighting-fascism-a-brief-history-of-america-and-ways-to-stop-the-police-state
by Corey
After outlining the situation on the ground in the mid and late-18th Century (high taxes, rebellion) Corey wastes no time making clear that the constitution is “a self-contradicting document full of cognitive dissonance and unclear commandants.” He expounds:
The American government has experienced an evolutionary change from volunteer peace keepers to a bloated system with jackbooted state mercenaries carrying rifles just to apprehend petty thieves, fast drivers, and drug users. How did this happen? Either the constitution has failed or been misinterpreted and ignored. I would argue both.
Frankly, I was glad to read the strike-the-root perspective of this essay, as I truly believe that before any real, positive chance occurs, we must each withdraw our consent from the coercive apparatus. As for how to get there from here, Corey outlines the following:
I propose solutions that will nonviolently (where defensive force is allowed) stop the rise of a tyrannical state. Firstly, a mass tax boycott, but we need critical mass to implement this. There can’t be police if there is no state and there can’t be a state with no taxes. Secondly, a boycott of mega corporations (this will be hard). Lastly, we establish freeconomies and alternative economies using things like Bitcoins. These small steps can begin to end fascism with no shots fired.
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The Training of America
http://www.copblock.
by BewareMouse
In this essay BewareMouse paralleled the training of police horses to the desensitization of the american public – so that both accept without question an artificial state of chaos, created and compounded by the actions of those who seek to control others. From the essay:
Most people go on with life never realizing what may be assembled right in front of them or what the consequences of this may be until it is completely in place.
BewareMouse then points to 18 USC 241, 18 USC 242 and 18 USC 245, which were ostensibly created to oust corrupt government actors, though (unsurprisingly) those said to have the authority to move such actions forward (the attorney generals), have tended to not make that happen. He concludes:
The constitution is the foundation of what we base all of our laws from… The key to making a change once again is to write, inform, and demand the actions of the government to follow the laws concerning the constitution. Only with the permission and ignorance of the public would such illicit laws and actions ever be allowed here in America.
But my question to BewareMouse and others who still have faith in the idea that that system can be reigned-in or “fixed” is: Is it possible for a coercive institution to ever be anything but? Rather than believe that with the right leader or a proper adherence to text on paper occur, might it be time to move forward on other fronts?
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Technology’s Gift to Activism
http://www.copblock.org/technologys-gift-to-activism
by Theresa Richard
Theresa gave a personal overview on her upbringing and life experiences that caused her to go from someone who hardly questioned the “authorities” and who was scared of the police, to someone who recognizes the value in not just asking questions, but in documenting and dissimenting those conversations through technology. From the essay:
Now is the time for all of us to begin to use our knowledge of technology to shine a light on the erosion of our constitutional rights and the emergence of the new police state.
She concludes:
Together, as we all stand up against corruption and misconduct, we will gain the attention needed to change this country into one that would be recognizable to our founding fathers and one that we can all be proud to call ours, not our government’s.
Bitcoin Fueled Contest Entries is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights
Source: http://www.copblock.org/45739/bitcoin-fueled-contest-entries/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bitcoin-fueled-contest-entries
