List of arguments
I
I don't agree with the last sentence of the first paragraph of the preamble. My ideal is anarchy, and it is to this end that I do aspire and work. If you are not familiar with this social and political idea, you should take some time reading about it and thinking about it—I question our end goal, so I believe this is the most important amendment. The above link to Anarchopedia is a good starting point (it links to several other language editions). I especially recommend the The ABC of Communist Anarchism by Alexander Berkman (PDF). However I call for anarchism without adjectives. You can read Voltairine de Cleyre's writings on this question. I think most pirates are unknowingly anarchists—and since I propose anarchy as an ideal, it is safe to guess we will never experience it anyway. So fear of anarchy should be no obstacle to vote for this amendment. I suppose we are against our present governments in general. Why else have we found new parties? We have a different set of values and we oppose already knowingly much of the state.
- To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.
- — Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
Think about it. If you prefer a philosophical approach study the work of Max Stirner. One may wonder whether I should rewrite the whole paragraph. I don't think this is necessary (but maybe we should specify that religious beliefs lead to theocracy). Someone made an effort to sum up Aristotle's Politics which doesn't contradict to call for anarchy. Since our constitutions (if we have one—the Germans haven't) claim we live in democracies, we can use this pretension to take over. When we succeeded in this, we can ponder how to end regimen. --Mms 14:55, 7 November 2008 (CET)
Amendment
Pirate Manifesto's First Draft would be modified as follows:
- 1st paragraph of Preamble would have the following text:
- The stated purpose of democracy is that the government represents the people. When a government does not represent the people, but a certain subclass, that is not democracy, that is aristocracy. When a government does not listen to facts, but listens to beliefs, that is not democracy, that is theocracy. When a government does not listen to the people, or to the rule of law, that is not democracy, that is dictatorship. We believe that the state is destructive to individual liberty and social harmony, and that only the abolition of coercive authority can solve our political, economic and national problems. Anarchy is the ideal, and it is to this end that we do aspire and work.
Mms 21:46, 31 October 2008 (CET) (Piratenpartei Deutschland)
(NOTE: added italic style to the whole paragraph, including the newest part)
