As a very outspoken anarchist, one of the biggest replies I get when I try to explain that people shouldn’t be slaves and should own themselves is, “If you like that so much you should move to Somalia!”
So, okay, I'm here now. But, I don’t know why they told me to come here.
As I boarded the plane from Nairobi to Mogadishu, the first person I met was someone from the World Bank who told me his job was to try to enforce some sort of extortion (he called it a tax) in Somalia.
Boy, that sure sounds like anarchy I thought.
The only other foreigners on the plane were NGOs likely working with the UN deciding who would live or die in this beautiful part of Africa.
Upon arrival, most of the planes at the airport were UN planes including one that looked like it had been shot down.
We were met by a private security team I’d hired via the Peace Hotel, which is really the only hotel I know of in Mogadishu that can ensure your safety in the area. The hotel itself has about three massive walls surrounding the compound and just a few months ago a bomber had blasted through one of the walls in an attempt of a siege.
We were taken to the private security control room which was very high tech and impressive. I imagine it is similar to the room where Barack Drone Bomber and Killary Clinton posed for their propaganda photo when they didn’t kill CIA asset Osama bin Laden, who didn’t commit 9/11, when they didn’t throw his body into the Indian ocean.
Having spent only two days in Mogadishu I certainly won’t claim I have a great understanding of what is going on here. But, according to many I spoke with, all these problems started in the 1990s when warring tribes fought for control of the government.
Because, that’s anarchy, right?
They somehow managed to bomb this entire city into rubble in the process. And I mean literally into rubble. All of it.
Then, according to locals, countless other governments and the UN have been moving in trying to take over the area in one way or another. The United Arab Emirates and Turkey apparently being two of the biggest ones with the largest military bases here.
Meanwhile, the US, in its constant bid to spread “freedom” and “democracy” has been randomly drone bombing civilians. We met a man who had eleven of his family members killed in a drone bombing and raid by US terrorists. Stay tuned to Luke Rudkowski’s We Are Change CensorTube channel, or even better, his DTube channel for that interview.
And, according to many, all of this random bombing of civilians has created a very angry Muslim population that has gravitated to Al-Shabaab, which is somewhat of an offshoot of the CIA-created Al-Qaeda and ISIS, who now do most of the suicide bombing in Mogadishu.
Just in October, the largest hotel here was completely destroyed and about 600 killed in one massive bombing. And bombings are nearly a daily occurrence.
In fact, as we returned from a tour around the city with our armed team of about 10 men with AK-47s (you might want to keep those just in case!) in our bomb-protected, bullet proof vehicles, we heard that an area we were just in had been bombed with 20 people believed to have been killed.
So, because I believe people shouldn’t be slaves (the meaning of anarchy - no rulers, no slaves) people told me to come to a place where countless factions and governments are warring and terrorizing the populace in an attempt to subdue them into slavery, with the World Bank even trying to figure out how best to extort the local populace.
Talk about opposite land.
I did see some anarchy, however. The Peace Hotel and its private security teams were all private companies doing an admirable job of providing safety and security for visitors as various statist forces battled it out around them.
And the locals I witnessed and met are the epitome of the resilience and bravery of the free market. Amongst all the rubble, most were working hard just trying to make a living as nearly the entire world was trying to take control of them.
I saw young teenagers hauling 150 pound sharks on their shoulders out of beaten up fishing skiffs through the water, and up the rubbled stairways to the fish market, to make a living.
And, all with a smile on their face as they were earning enough money to survive another day in what should be paradise but has turned into hell.
Almost all I spoke to told me that Mogadishu is improving daily and they are so proud of their community and wished the world knew what was really going on and would support them instead of making things worse.
In fact, numerous people told me that they love Mogadishu and think it is one of the best places in the world… and one even told me he would never go to the US as he sees all the police brutality and lack of freedom there and feels it isn’t safe.
I couldn’t disagree with him there.
When I asked one local, “How did this all happen?” he sighed and said, “We did it to ourselves,” referring to the civil war.
It was another case of people fighting for control over others and ruining everything in the process. This is what is happening everywhere in the world today with people in the US now close to a civil war over “guns” — and believe me, you’ll want those guns if and when that civil war happens.
And, not to mention, the War of Terror has now been going on for 17 years which only creates more terror.
The way to hell is through war and to fight for control over others. The way to heaven is to respect others' freedoms and right to life and property.
Somalia has learned that lesson the hard way. Sadly, much of the rest of the world is racing towards this being their future.
Thank you for that riviting field report. Guess us anarchists will have to keep searching for that elusive "Somalia" everyone told us about.
In all seriousness, these kinds of reports are monumental to people waking up and learning the truth about our world.
The official reason for the US presence in Somalia is the perennial war against terrorism. The real reason is oil. Here's a must read, the real story behind Black Hawk Down in Somalia, CIA bribed then created civil war all for Bush family to get the billions of barrels of oil in Somalia: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/34728-after-the-black-hawks-arrived-in-somalia-a-history-of-us-meddling-continues
Amazing work Jeff. One more thing, the US government armed and funded many of the rebel groups in Somalia fighting for control. So that doesn't help. lol
That's pretty damn important, because WITHOUT that, even among power-happy, heartless bastards, it wouldn't be economically useful--or even possible--to wage ongoing violence like this.
Sure. The most dumb rebel leader (and they are not dumb generally) understands that it's ineffective to wage civil war for 20 years. But with foreign funding... well that's different
Like in many other places...
i don't know why the people on the top enjoyed their lifestyle if they have the power to change the world into a better place, therefore human greed is far more realistic than compassion.
I`m waiting for a video from Somalia :)
Cool post and an amazing idea to go and see what it was like for yourself.
Hopefully your reporting will remove some of the cobwebs from the way people see Africa and the rest of the world
You are braver than I am. I remember Pat Robertson talking about the situation, in Africa, over 40 years ago. Thanks for the report.
This issue is of course years old, and it has been rehashed so many times I even submitted an Urban Dictionary entry for it:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Finn%27s%20Law
They want me to move to Somalia? Sure, I'll go there. You go to North Korea though.
Very well done Jeff. These types of articles are why I started following you, this is so much more refreshing than all that Bitcoin Cash bla-bla-blobbity blahhhh.
dandays, you're obviously missing the irony here, but I'll point it out for you - very few people in Africa would be able to afford Bitcoin Core's $50 fees, so Bitcoin Cash is going to be the obvious winner in that continent.
Thanks for pointing that out to me @weepingguitars, I feel informed now.. I guess I got a little carried away thinking this post was about Somalia.
I obviously missed the btc-bch irony as well. It was almost as if the article didn't mention it at all.
Their comment mentioned it. Very dishonest diversion tactics on your part.
hahahah wow, perfect
If you knew the post was about Somalia, why does your reply to it attack Bitcoin Cash? Now you're accusing the person who called you out on it of switching the topic, while it's you who did, and my retort is relevant to both the article and your reply. What a weasel!
Sorry you feel that way. Let’s recap and make sure you’re following along accurately:
I said (this is the summarized version @weepingguitar, I don’t want to lose you again) ‘thanks.... that’s why I started following you.... more refreshing than BCH.’ I’m not going to apologize nor ignore your attempted smash at my compliment to Berwick.
Ps - In my mirror is a Gryphon, not a weasel. :kisses:
They can't afford BCH either.
How so?
lol
So steel reinforced buildings don't collapse like a house of cards? Psh! Conspiracy theory alert!
I know if I executed the world's most famous terrorist I'd dump his body in the ocean so no one could confirm the kill. Gotta keep um on their toes man.
sounds more like chaos not because of anarchy but because of many different groups trying to force their way onto the country.
This is the kind of journalism that is missing from the mainstream so thanks Jeff @dollarvigilante
The way to hell is through war and to fight for control over others. The way to heaven is to respect others' freedoms and right to life and property.
Der Weg zur Hölle ist mit guten Vorsätzen gepflastert.
Oh, the government has many of those guten Vorsätzen.
Definetely but eventually rund out of other Peoples money
Did you talk or interview any pirates over there? And is anyone using bitcoin and crypto currency in Somalia to facilitate more trade or bartering to improve the economic situation of the people living there?
Yeah, I forgot about the Somalia pirates. Most anyone I the pictures could be one.
Great coverage! Thank you for shading light on this matter. A couple of days ago (on 24.) it was 19 year since NATO has illegally bombed Yugoslavia, and that was the first time their low-intensity conflict strategy was applied. They even used depleted uranium, so every year 33 000 people get some kind of cancer. This was all done so that they can get closer to Russia, by instaling their military base on Kosovo. I wrote a post about it, check it out if you are interested:
https://steemit.com/news/@drumsta/on-this-day-nato-has-bombed-yugoslavia-why-is-this-so-important
Somalia is an interesting test case for Anarchy, but let me explain, don’t jump to conclusions. This is actually an important story for Jeff and his quest for reality.
Less than a lifetime ago, the central government controlling “Somalia" basically dissolved due to lack of interest and the local people went back to their local customs of managing themselves. This local control is based on extended family structure and is embodied in what is known as the Xeer law. Everyone there knows the Xeer because it’s no natural to them. It’s like you know right and wrong, and the golden rule, but you do not want to molest yourself with all the legal bullshit. Our legal framework use to be the “Common Law”, which was easy to understand, but it has been bureaucratized into endless “codified” law, which is endless, meaningless and simply dictate. The Xeer is NOT dictate, it's basically their “Common Law” and accepted and understood by all.
Michael van Notten, a Dutch Attorney, married a local Somali gal, studied the Xeer and ended up writing a book on it, “The Law of the Somalis”. He highly admired how the Xeer functioned and respected it more than the legal setup for which he was licensed in Europe.
At any rate, the local Somalis tried to go back to Anarchy, and wanted to forget about the central government, but that left them vulnerable to the governments on the outside. A land under Anarchy, or basically happy hippies minding their own business, leaves a fertile area for other governments to come in to exploit. It’s so easy to start supplying weapons and resources to a cooperative and ambitious local group, who then proceeds to try to establish a new central government in order to exploit everyone under their umbrella. The more that the locals have no interest in the central government, the more the locals will be decimated and the area devastated. It’s basically the same routine that is imposed when a “Communist” style government is imposed, the more the locals have no interest, the more they will be slaughtered.
The maverick cows are slaughtered so that the docile cows remain to populate the farm, it’s called “breeding”. The farmer hates a “bad”, “trouble-maker” cow like Jeff, a true Maverick. The farmer wants Jeff to say only “moo moo”, not FREEDOM like in Braveheart!
Anarchy exists in the Garden of Eden. We are all Anarchists by birth, but we do not live in the Garden of Eden. Eden is a free open area with plenty for all, very hospitable, and a nice tropical climate. It’s like a small group of hippies living on a beautiful tropical coastline, with fresh water all around, plenty of fish and fertile land, and fruit trees waiting to be picked.
When Adam and Eve lost Eden, they were cast out into a dry, tough world, with endless drudgery just to stay alive. A tough world is full of opportunities for Mafias to make their turf pay for them.
“Mafia” is a very old word originating in old Sicily, and refers to “muscle” or “power”. So, if there is a disagreement, you ask help from the local Mafia to resolve the problem, or if you see an opportunity, you get the Mafia to help you realize it. It’s those problems and opportunities that lead to the formation and profitable activities of Mafias, or Governments, or however you want to label the “muscle". Anyone who studies real Mafias or Governments, such as Jeff did, realize that the only difference between them is a matter of size. If we labeled “Government” as “Mafia”, then there would be no more confusion.
Somalia tried to go back to the Garden of Eden, but the local and external Mafias (Governments) came in to exploit the opportunity.
We are all Anarchists by birth, and we would love to live in the Garden of Eden, some of us can even find a relatively free niche like Jeff did, but the reality is that there are Mafias all around. We are Anarchist bunny rabbits in a world of wolves, so take care and learn from Somalia…
Thank you for a bit of history of Somalia. It encourages me to know that in their hearts, the Somalis know how to live ruler-free. I believe, too, that we are all anarchists by birth. Maybe, soon, Somalia can return to their Xeer principles.
Outstanding job Jeff! Internet quote of the day, "The way to hell is through war and to fight for control over others. The way to heaven is to respect others' freedoms and right to life and property."
After having interviewed countless protesters in the streets of Washington's District of Criminals, I can testify, first hand, to what you're saying here. Those people weren't "Marching for Lives." In their utter disdain for their fellow humans and under the guise of "keeping the children safe at school," they were Marching for CONTROL. Peace to you all and may Anarchy rule in your hearts....forever!
Let's do that interview soon Jeff.
I have been helping a group of students in my area build a Tiny Home. I had a conversation with them after this March for Our Lives event about how true change comes from within. The outer world is a reflection of our inner world. If you wish to control others you will manifest more control over yourself. In this statement they paused and I saw a switch flip. One of the girls admitted she wanted to control others actions. I believe that communication is needed with these people to help them realize they need to reflect upon themselves first. We can't save everyone, but I believe we must find ways to reach peoples hearts and continue to change ourselves so our deeds will have meaning.
Barack Drone Bomber and Killary Clinton lol but seriously how many people in the U.S. even know about stuff like this, this is sad. But things have to get ugly before they get better #evolution
Man you are at seriosly danger place..
pretty sad...
This is the best quote I have read in a long time.
this is great, hopefully I can go there because I want to be like you, thank you for sharing a useful post
Sounds like an interesting journey! Here is a link if you are interested in finding out more about the history. http://www.somaliheritage.org
nice post,,i like u
Really nice article and i love your videos as well!
Yeah, warring gangs/civil war. You seem to have thought this anarchy thing through but the MSM programmed meaning of anarchy (bloody chaos) does conjure up this image...
Is humanity ready for anarchy? Or would we have to reinvent the Police (eek) to keep a lid on things for a while?
I believe anarchy starts with each individual by achieving 100% freedom through 100% responsibility. Once more and more people get that there won't be any more need for the state and its force and it will become obsolete.
Surely if the state would disappear over night at this stage of human evolution, we would be in deep shit.
They do say "anyone with a colour TV can't be bothered to fight"! If I had all my income tax money returned, I might even buy a dvd player too! lol.... My point is, with no fiat/government people would really start to chill out.
(for the record, i dont have a tv)
I don't have a TV either :D
But I suppose getting all your income tax back is unlikely to happen.
It is sad actually. What I see beyond that anarchy is a beautiful that would have somewhat been a tourist destination but instead a hell-hole. I mean look at that beach where a boy was hauling a shark. Look at the crystal green water with nice light blue background. Alas, mankind's quest for power.
It was courageous of you @dollarvigilante. My society is not in anyway flawless, but I wouldn't dare visit such kind of place.
nice! Very interesting read! Is a video on this coming too?
This post has received a 0.98 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @markcze.
I’m glad to see people visiting Somalia “Dhulkii Murtida” aka “A nation of poets” After more then 2 decades Somalia is recovering... @dollarvigilante make sure to eat Hilib Geel and drink Caano Geel... Just ask the Hotel staff lol
Great work my friend.
Many tend to think anarchy simply means chaos, or disorder in the absence of a controlling system. And from their ignorance, they may say a benighted remark like go to Somalia. They don't seem to understand the definition of rules, but no rulers. Most people think a system like that can't work. But...at least there is a system that we can show them now that works, and has been working, that fits that definition. That is what is taking place in the cryptocurrency space. Bitcoin is the most widely recognized cryptocurrency at the moment, and we can all just point to that as a system that has rules, but no rulers. So keep pointing to that system, as you have been, as the model to show that rules, but no rulers, can not only work when it comes to money, but everything else as well.
Classic Berwick. Nicely done.
It's the natural consequence of anarchy as proven throughout all of human history, yes.
and the natural consequence of democracy is dictatorship as proven throughout all of human history, yes?
How do you figure? Democracy itself is a relatively recent invention and most of them have not become dictatorships at least so far.
The most famous example would be Germany, twice. But there are also many current examples. Turkey, Egypt and at a much earlier stage Russia. In addition the western democracies are also quite weak currently and it is not so clear how they will progress.
Just go though history and you will find this pattern repeating quite regularly. But of course it is to simplistic to say that democracies naturally turn into dictatorships. I was just copying your style.
On anarchy, there are actually very few examples in history and the modern type of anarchy was never attempted anywhere. To stabilise anarchy on larger than few hundret people scales, modern communication technologies are essential and in history these have simply be laking. Just because it did not yet happen in history does not mean it could not happen now.
Tribal warfare is pretty much the natural state of things though. I went through a brief history a few weeks ago: https://steemit.com/war/@telos/nuclear-weapons-the-path-to-peace
Short version, we were engaging in tribal warfare over resources long before government was invented.
OK so Germany, Turkey, Egypt and Russia... that's 4 (or 5 if you count Germany twice) out of how many? 20?
It's also telling that when people try to create anarchist regions they fail, often due to infighting. TDV himself was involved in a project where they all ended up suing each other.
I completely agree. Tribal conflicts are a natural state on low tech. Not sure you can call it war as in most cases the tribes will try to stay out of each others territories. But if one side sees a big enough advantage they will claim the resources.
The interesting thing is how it will develop with global communications and distributed consensus. In the end the question is how can you defend a free society from internal and external threats. Democracy is protected only when we stand up for our freedom and defend it. The same is true for Anarchism. The big historical advance of Democracy is the ability to find consensus, while anarchy had no answer to this problem. But these days are almost over.
I think Democracy is a little more than consensus, it also provides non-violent ways to gain leadership which groups will always want for their own advantage. For instance a lot of what we're seeing now with the rise of "nationalism" really boils down to tribalism and people feeling like they are losing out to other tribes. In a non-Democracy they might already be resorting to violence.
Not sure what you mean with regards to anarchy and consensus unless you're thinking direct voting?
Not to mention Rome and Greece...
Great write up Jeff. Very insightful. Thanks for having the juevos to go check it out and report back.
Thanks @dollarvigilante for sharing your experiences. As you know, we don't really ever get an accurate picture of what goes on in countries like Somalia from our mainstream sources. Your visit and subsequent sharing means a whole lot more than many would ever know. Thank you.. Sincerely.
Great write-up, Jeff. It seems you are making yourself your own opinion about how the world looks like. Thank you for sharing the experience with us. You have already changed my life in such a profound way with Anarchapulco 2018.
warring tribes fighting for control is usually the teleology of anarchy in practice.
Why didn't you tell him CNN was fake news and that was bullshit?
Amazing story! I'm looking forward to a future where we finally take back our power and are able to empower people all over the world. I hope steemit will be one of many stepping stones - no, wait, that sounds much too weak. I hope steemit will be part of the rEvolution and solution to the grasp of the greedy "leaders", trying to pull us back and hold us down.
beautiful scenery and its cool style really i like ..... by @tasier22 follow me
I believe that this experience changed your way of seeing things a little, it is an issue that touches my heart because my country has a serious economic and social crisis, perhaps the fault of the government and of us who allowed it, thank you for sharing your experience. Excuse my English.
This sentence paid my hugest atention: "Meanwhile, the US, in its constant bid to spread “freedom” and “democracy” has been randomly drone bombing civilians. We met a man who had eleven of his family members killed in a drone bombing and raid by US terrorists."
What I have see all these years are double standards by USA and biggest economies and most powerful countries...They talk to African, Balkan countries what to do and they do right opposite in the same situations in their own countries...
wonderful place Sumalia groups is a diffreant groups great work . thanks for @dollarvigilante
I usually get a response more like "But who will build the roads?". Maybe because I go with a "we don't need government" argument instead of "I think anarchy is good"? Anyway, really enjoyed the story.
Some say Somalia has the best shorelines, good enough to set up a whole miami port but oh well, they destabilized it
Ballsey... good job Sr.
Holy shit, dude. I have had a lot of respect for you for years, but this is just incredible. I think you should change your name to "Balls O'Steele." You look a little Irish...
The problem with anarchy is what happens when someone wants to make slaves of others. It's always going to happen. People can't do both: live their lives and enforce that others don't fuck them up, they have to have someone take care of that last part, like the hotel and his security staff. For obvious reasons, when security is concerned, all hotel guests are subject to what the staff says, they have to obey. Now, If guests want to do more than just visit the city, hotel staff will require more power to protect you. Over time, states just happen naturally, only because free will and liberty means that some people will feel free to harm others. I'm not saying states are a good thing, i'm saying they are things that just happen, like money. They are the way we organize for building peace. I think the question is how can we force states to fulfill the pact that they sign with their citizens.
Your question begins "How can we FORCE the state...
We can't. And as an anarchist I have no interest in forcing my will on anyone anyway.
Any more questions?
Great story, and talk about putting your money where your mouth is.