It’s difficult to know everything that goes on behind bars but trans activists and prisoners remind us that prison is often particularly cruel for them. Notable activist CeCe McDonald has spoken out on the way she was hyper-sexualized by guards and staff while serving time in a men’s prison. Others experience similar issues, like prison rape. Sometimes, when dealing with sexual assault, trans prisoners are put into solitary confinement.

In January 2010, Chelsea Manning began changing the world, and she never stopped. As a private in the US army, she saw the evil, the corruption, and the criminality of the institution she had enlisted to serve. To ignore this and do nothing would have only corrupted her, and so she did what she knew she had to do to expose it. Through the then little-known publisher Wikileaks, she released this vital information to the world, for all to see and judge.

The subject of police — by far one of the biggest issues related to gun violence — is not tackled by modern gun control legislation. We can attempt to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals all we want. But until the state stops providing some of these criminals with special uniforms and weaponry to use against us with little to no consequence, and then puts them in charge of enforcing the state’s (or even their own) will, we will be no closer to solving the problem.

The Flint water crisis is back in the national news. Over 8,000 Flint residents now face tax liens on their homes for unpaid water bills after May 19th, and are faced with the possibility of losing their homes if they don’t pay the total amount in arrears. This follows last month’s mass water cutoffs for residences with unpaid bills.

Egoism has a long history among illegalist anarchists. These illegalists rejected the moralistic ideals of their comrades, who argued that seizing the property of the capitalist class was an act of reclamation: one that was justified by the unjust nature of the present property system. But the illegalists found this justification unnecessary.

In Wisconsin, buzz has been building over a “Campus Free Speech Act” which creates harsh penalties for interrupting, protesting, or otherwise disrupting speakers invited onto colleges campuses. Meanwhile last week, 61-year-old Code Pink protester Desiree Fairooz was convicted and sentenced to a year in prison for laughing.

[Di Kevin Carson. Originale pubblicato su Center for a Stateless Society l’otto maggio 2017 con il titolo If You Call It “School Choice,” You’ll Go to Hell. Traduzione di Enrico Sanna.] Ci sono tra i libertari di destra delle sirene che inneggiano alle scuole private sovvenzionate usando l’eufemismo “libertà di scelta scolastica”, che è più…

Last Friday, The Oregonian published a staff editorial that responded to the police brutality unleashed on May Day protesters by labeling all anarchists as “punk fascists.” This editorial — published by the conservative newspaper that used to be a daily powerhouse in the Northwest — has been roundly denounced in many circles for its political ignorance.

Right-libertarian shills for school charterization like to use the euphemism “school choice,” which is about as misleading as referring to proprietary walled garden platforms like Uber as the “sharing economy.” The charter school movement’s inroads occur, almost without exception, in places where choice has been suppressed by the state. The Charter Mafia hates choice.

[Di Chad Nelson. Originale pubblicato su Center for a Stateless Society il 2 maggio 2017 con il titolo What’s Wrong with Abolishing Circus Animal Shows? Traduzione di Enrico Sanna.] A prima vista il disegno di legge 1759 approvato dalla camera (“Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act”) sembra una grossa vittoria per gli animali….

As a relative newcomer to the tradition of anarchist activism in the field of human-animal relationships, I found C4SS Fellow Chad Nelson’s “What’s Wrong with Abolishing Circus Animal Shows?” to be a fascinating read. But my concern for animals is currently rooted in their welfare rather than their ostensible oppression or rights as free beings.

At first glance, H.R. 1759 — the “Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act (TEAPSPA)” — seems like a big victory for animals. TEAPSPA actually seeks to abolish an entire cross-section of animal exploitation. One that is as old as mankind: circus animals. Many parts of the world are already aware that circus animals endure great suffering…

Generally, people on the ‘right’ of the political spectrum are more vocally against abortion. If they do agree with it, it’s usually only in some limited capacity (such as when an unplanned pregnancy is the result of rape or incest). On the other hand, the political left tends to be far more vocally supportive.

[Di Vikky Storm. Originale pubblicato su Center for a Stateless Society il 19 aprile 2017 con il titolo It’s Time for “Mad Anarchism”. Traduzione di Enrico Sanna.] Per molte persone, la malattia mentale è un terribile Altro che genera vergogna e insulti. Le stragi sono colpa dei malati di mente. I leader autoritari sono autoritari…

Come un reddito di base universale potrebbe creare libertà economica e giustizia sociale [Di Vishal Wilde. Originale pubblicato su Center for a Stateless Society il 20 aprile 2017 con il titolo A UBI Can Create Economic Freedom and Social Justice. Traduzione di Enrico Sanna.] Vista la richiesta sempre più forte di un reddito di base…

Speaking at the American Heart Association on April 19th, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled anti-smoking policies going “up against a multi-billion-dollar industry.” This might seem an adversarial showdown between public advocacy and entrenched power straight out of a Hollywood movie — say, “Erin Brockovich” or “Spotlight.”

Given increasingly prominent calls for a Universal Basic Income (UBI), it is worth considering the extent to which such proposals accord with the principles of freedom and justice. UBI divides opinions and elicits controversy from across the political spectrum because it seems to be both idealistic and fatally flawed.

For many people, mental illness is a terrifying Other to be shamed and attacked. The mentally ill are to blame for mass shootings. Authoritarian leaders are only authoritarian because they are mentally ill. Mental healthcare means locking people up or medicating them until they act “normal.” But this stigma is largely unearned. Mentally ill people are more…

[Di Vishal Wilde. Originale pubblicato su Center for a Stateless Society il 13 aprile 2017 con il titolo How Compulsory Education Encourages Bullying and Suicide. Traduzione di Enrico Sanna.] Per giovani studenti e adulti, bullismo e suicidio sono tragedie della vita. Dalle riflessioni, però, manca spesso una cosa: l’obbligo scolastico può aggravare il rischio di…

This is the fourth part in a series. Be sure to check out parts 1, 2, 3 and 5. Advocates of gun ownership for marginalized people must talk about one of the biggest threats faced by such groups: hate crimes. Oftentimes, the media confuses this kind of bigotry with mental illness: but bigotry is not a mental illness at…