Brian’s Column: The Parable of Nocium

… and Nodoum

TrollarchyPart 1 of this column is here.

Logan Dance was called a swing doctor by some, but really what he did was help people to find their way thru the thickets and weeds of life. Frequently, these choke points were nothing but old paths, leading nowhere now, to which the client had become accustomed, trapped. Almost always the habits were self-imposed, at the beginning out of a sense duty, and were now held in place by inner force, a realm of the ‘musts.’ Logan’s technique was simple: ask a few questions to identify the source of the burden, discover the authentic thrust of personal energy inside, maneuver the client to a position to  drop the burden (without resistance and without hurting anyone), and let it go. Continue reading

Book Review: No Treason: The Constitution of No Authority (1870)

The Constitution of No Authority
by Lysander Spooner
Review by Brian Wright first posted July 20, 2009

…”on principles of law and reason”

No Treason: The Constitution of No AuthorityIn No Treason, Lysander Spooner uses the above expression on practically every page. On those foundations, he makes his case that the US Constitution—and by universal extension, any other formal written document that aims to set up a compulsory central government—cannot be morally or legally justified. Primarily Spooner focuses on the weaknesses of the “social contract” argument. He puts the Constitution to the test of contracts, as prevailed in his time and place, and concludes that it does not meet the basic criteria for a contract at all… hence is not valid or binding on anyone. Continue reading