The following is a response to a post written in praise of a well-known politician here on the platform, by fellow Steemian @daveonarrival.
My commentary:
If this is really about “humanity,” for @adamkokesh, respectfully, should he not address the concerns of his fellow humans?
I wish he would address an issue many have been calling him to, which is the messages sent to his former staffer Angela Fisher Owens’ 9-year-old son.
I don’t pretend adults don’t have disagreements, but to drag a child into the middle of it with political pressure/veiled threatening language is just shitty. If there is some explanation for how this happened, I wish he would explain. These screenshots were sent to me directly by the mother of the child. Adam’s former campaign team member.
Other concerns:
He has also recently upvoted a comment, and other subsequent commentary of @fundposhprincess, a crazy old man who non-jokingly stated that a “hit” should placed on Angela (@angelafisher) and who directly stated that he meant violence, up to and including murder. (I have screenshots available if anyone needs a reference).
Sure, @fundposhpriness is a bit nuts, and laughably so at times. That said, I don’t think calling for hits and threatening physical violence and death against other users is a good thing, and am curious why Kokesh continues to upvote this account’s commentary with no address of the aforementioned realities.
Adam’s failure to address these issues (amongst important others, threatening, financial, and otherwise) openly and specifically should concern anyone considering supporting his campaign. In my view, the campaign is already opposed to Voluntaryist principle in that it prescribes non-free
market, centralized redistribution of trillions of dollars of resources, but even for those who are not Voluntaryists, is this the type of
leadership you want?
Attempts to evade, shame, and silence dissenting viewpoints/individuals/questions.
Charisma is nice. But if there is no real sense of integrity and responsibility beneath it, then what is the point? Charismatic “authority” is an interesting phenomenon worthy of more study:
You could say there’s room for a fair amount of groupthink here, since things like challenging the leader and offering dissenting perspectives are discouraged.
If Adam Kokesh wants unity, and shares the fundamental values of libertarians, then why does he Narcissistically lash out at anyone who questions him.?
Whether it be calling @larkenrose a “little coward,” or myself an “annoying and ignorant troll” after I simply raised some non-personal concerns about the campaign platform, it is my feeling that Kokesh has much to answer for.
I hope I will be proven wrong here. I have reached out to Adam via email regarding the messages but have received no response (it’s been about a week now), and he is aware of the death threats and suggestions of a “hit” being put out (he commented briefly regarding the matter, simply saying I should email him) but continues to upvote the account making these suggestions and outright death threats.
I have been made painfully aware that questioning of Kokesh often results in vindictive backlash, not only from his supporters, but also from himself, and
I know for a fact that other major players here on Steemit (they have told me directly) feel as I do and have the same questions, but are afraid to speak out.
I also have some slight hesitancy, as I do not know Kokesh personally, or how he may erratically attempt to deal with persistent questioners (if calls for hits are not problematic enough to warrant a dedicated address, and the commentary containing them are even upvoted by his account, it stands to reason one might be a little nervous).
That said, I think it’s important to speak my truth here, because I know for a fact there are several others here on Steemit, afraid of raising the ire of this account, and individual, who wish to raise these questions as well. The truth is important. Rocking the boat may be uncomfortable, but it is absolutely necessary to the preservation of happiness and freedom.
I hope some real, non-politicized, down-to-earth dialogue can be had, sans persona, for the sake of everyone involved.
Peace.
~*~
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DTube and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
Dude, you have the most integrity of anyone on Steemit.
It’s the financial aspect of the platform that is now preventing many people from saying what they really feel.
The more people amass the more they feel they have to lose, especially those with large delegations so the truth dries up.
Unfortunately I fear censorship is alive and kicking here now and sits in the hands of those with the largest wallets and those who wish to shut down debate on touchy subjects, newer people starting out see this and are afraid of pissing someone off with a powerful account and getting flagged to nothing.
It’s a sad state of affairs that I only see getting worse unless there are fundemental changes to the platform which I don’t see happening under the current leadership.
Kudos for keeping it real Graham.
Thanks, @tremendospercy.
I keep telling myself just to shut up and continue to do my thing, which I am, but I guess part of that thing is saying how I see it.
Kokesh is not only roping people back into the futile mechanisms of coercive government, but is now also calling yet another associate who has left his team “mentally disturbed” (a pattern for him), and not addressing issues this woman is raising about messages to her son.
The account continues the slimy, narcissistic lying, voting abuse, and politicking here on a platform that means a whole lot to me.
And yeah, lots of people know what this is about, but he has clout, so many don’t want to be, yeah, like you said, nuked into oblivion by the .5 million delegated SP.
Sheeple are generally pretty awesome at being sheeple. We need more Patriots to step up.
You can not drag children into adult games
Yes you can. Schools.
Very strange messages to send a young kid...(I'm assuming your info. is accurate).
It comes across as an act of immaturity and frustration...
I ran a Google + search on Adam Kokesh’s email address, and the account that popped up had over 6,000 followers and the same “Guy Fawkes Adam” profile pic (pic from his stint at RT).
There are no other accounts with this picture, and Angela, the mother, was a core team member/treasurer, in constant contact with Adam. I also have other means by which I can corroborate this. If he was hacked, or there is some other explanation, I wonder why he will not come forward and explain it.
Regarding the other threat hyperlinked in this article, made against Tatiana Moroz, via Adam’s campaign strategist Ben Farmer, that one has been corroborated/acknowledged by Farmer’s own FB commentary, strangely enough.
Regardless, this is why Voluntaryists don’t entrust single individuals with non-property-based, centralized control of trillions of dollars worth of land and resources. That task is for individuals and communities in a free market setting, not a suit in DC thousands of miles away.
.....posh is that you? lol.
The function is very distinctive and exquisite
No one wants to shake the boat but they only want to ride
People are really lazy
Hello sir upvote and resteemid done ✊
But this is very good post freedom 👍
You didn’t even read it.
Hmm
of course to get freedom we have to be irritant ,fighter because it is right to get freedom.freedom need sacrifices of good time and happiness so should be ready for every difficulties.
Nice post thanks for sharing
Rock it man, turn turn the boat over if need be. The dismissal of nuance is a type of tyranny.
Adam does have the sketchy ethics background thing, he wants everything to lean in his favor, and doesn't appear to acknowledge when his opponent has a sound position on a matter.
The problem is, no one else is doing what he is doing. I remember repeatedly telling people the problem with anarchy is there would be no one in the 'engage' camp because the system is so despised, no one would want to go into it.
If there was some Mr. Acceptable Ethics with a similar goal and skill set, he would probably be eclipsing Adam in support, but Adam is a one off. Maybe one of a kind, for better or worse.
Thanks! I don’t view it even as nuance anymore, though, to be honest. The litany of his Narcissitic manipulation/threatening behavior, financial debacles, and abuse of power is quite remarkable.
The most pressing matter (the one ultimately, that got me sucked into all this) is of course the fact that his platform violates the self ownership of any dissenting individual by design, as centralized redistribution of resources and property not based on ISO and most direct, objective, intersubjectively ascertainable link to said properties, but on centrally planned policy (created and enacted/enforced by Adam and his “custodians”), is morally illegitimate.
He has taken the position that majority consensus both can and cannot grant property rights, and that Federal elections both can and cannot grant authority. As such, his platform, sold as a Voluntaryist platform (though he has admitted explicitly it is not one) is fraudulent, and damaging the cause of individual liberty.
Instead of folks continuing to become more and more self-sufficient, more and more non-complaint, and more and more disillusioned with the violent mechanisms of politics and violent governance, Adam seeks to suck naive individuals back into politics. Constantly asking for donations and giving thousands to statist political parties, in view of waiting for 2020, hardly seem to be the acts of an engaged individual. Perhaps engaged in making a living off of hype and activism. I actually think he does believe his message in a way, but the whole thing is so delusional, unreal, and pie-in-the-sky in nature as to be correctly identifiable as fraudulent in view of the thousands upon thousands in donations and funding being garnered.
Individuals would be, in my view, best served to continue making themselves and their communities more and more free. Political systems don’t vote themselves out of power. Executive orders cannot end the Federal government with the stroke of a pen. They do not work that way. Adam claims the state will be violent if we don’t “get political.” They will not be violent if we do, and oppose them? Why not? Magic?
I think many are doing much more, and much more effectively. To me, appealing to an intrinsically violent mechanism to end violence almost seems like a strange form of disengagement. Defense and protection firms are being built, networks and support groups. Medical and farming techniques being shared and created, and free market cryptocurrency transactions proliferated. Ghost computers. 3-D printing of homes and guns. Emotional/psychological/spiritual personal development. All of these wonderful real innovations and activities make politics look like the violent and silly impotent masturbation it almost always is.
Adam, certainly does think he is special. Almost a chosen one. He thinks the fates of thousands of lives rest in essentially his hands alone because he has severe, toxic, Narcissitic tendencies and has failed to understand that individualism is about individuals. We can organize as individuals from the bottom up and move mountains. The idea that we must use fire to put out the fire burning us is so absurd as to almost approach incredibility.
The most perfect, saintly, righteous man in the universe is still unable to accurately calculate prices and decide centrally who needs what more than another. This is the task of INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITIES, and THE FREE MARKET. Not a slimy politician, God help him.
This is why we as Voluntaryists oppose any and all rulers, regardless of their stated intentions or perceived “goodness.” This is why we defer to property, and not persona. Self-ownership, and not subjugation.
Free trade, and not force-backed central planning.