Do you remember when one of the vilest creatures ever to trail slime across the White House carpeting came out and called Trump supporters “a basket full of deplorables?” It was no revelation. Watching that wretched harpy wag her wrinkled talon in our direction only proved what we already knew in our hearts: we were – and are – on the right side of history.

Your dream is to reclaim America’s integrity. To see her cities no longer awash in human misery. Her children no longer bombarded with Marxist programming and taught that they’re evil. Her borders no longer reminiscent of Walmart’s front entrance on Black Friday.

You’re damn right we’re deplorable. It’s only natural that a nemesis of decency should hate such honorable ambitions. We’re everything a sniveling Deep State shrew should hate. Above your fear mongering. Immune to your propaganda. Determined to steer this country back on track with the same white-knuckle grit our ancestors built it with in the first place.

Don’t let the media deceive you into thinking you’re alone. You are one deplorable out of many – a legion of patriots, each a torchbearer for liberty who keeps the soul of America safe in their heart. Now say it loud and say it proud: MAGA.

“E Deploribus Unum” was created by Ben Garrison, America’s last unafraid editorial cartoonist.

Check out the E Deploribus Unum Collection by Libertas Bella!

The pantheon of American cartoonists has its fair share of luminaries. There is Walt Disney, whose work was so inspired that it sparked the creation of a hideously large and evil media conglomerate. There is Jim Davis, whose brainchild compelled the entire world to unite over its shared disdain for Mondays. There is Charles Schulz, who taught us never to trust psychiatrists. And let us not forget Chic Young, who never failed to delight whenever he depicted Dagwood Bumstead in the process of creating or consuming a comically tall sandwich with lots of weird stuff in it.

But of all the cartoonists God will ever see fit to grace this country with, none is more controversial than Ben Garrison – the founder of GrrrGraphics. The Montanan artist owes some of his notoriety to his own work, which depicts Deep State darlings as the devils they really are. He can also attribute a large part of it to internet trolls, who took it upon themselves to edit his cartoons with their own unsavory touches.

But chief among Ben’s sins is portraying Donald J. Trump in a positive light. Such audacity! Imagine if just two or three more artists dared to voice their support for someone who ran for president without globalist oligarchs’ explicit approval. It might just pry public discourse free from the Deep State’s vulture-like clutches and restore it to … you know … the public. (Note to self: tell Ben to draw cartoon depicting Deep State as vulture, with words “Deep State” printed just above its head.)

Check out the Ben Garrison Cartoons Logo Collection by Libertas Bella!

Do not cry that it is our duty to serve you. We do not recognize such duty. Do not cry that you need us. We do not consider need a claim. Do not cry that you own us. You don’t. – Ayn Rand

I first picked up a copy of Atlas Shrugged so I could destroy it at a book barbecue hosted by my local chapter of the Starbucks barista union. I wound up hanging onto it because I love video games and wanted to post a photo of the cover to r/bioshock. (I had 8.7 million karma at the time.)

I had always been told that the book is long-winded and boring by my liberal arts college professors. (They should know.) But I was already hooked after reading the first sentence: “Who is John Galt?” Perhaps this “John Galt” character would prove central to the plot later on. I resolved to find out.

But strange things started happening to me as I followed Dagny Taggart around on her adventures. I began to doubt whether the government bureaucrats’ efforts to throttle innovation and industry were really for the public good. Could such dull and dishonest people truly only be looking out for their own interests? I kept reading. I needed answers.

After I had finished what felt like 3,000 pages of John Galt’s legendary monologue, I saw everything clearly for the first time in my life. I quit my job at Starbucks, deleted my Reddit account, and dropped out of liberal arts college. I developed a new line of NFTs themed around Objectivism, made $180 million in two days, and then used that money to fund my newly discovered purpose in life: sabotaging copper mines.

Thank you, Ayn Rand!

Check out the John Galt Collection by Libertas Bella!

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Dandelions are always there for you.

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Can black markets lead to a libertarian society?

According to agorists, interactions in black markets and grey markets can lay the groundwork for a nonviolent revolution against the present-day administrative state.

Agorism refers to a political philosophy that advocates for the use of counter-economics and similar ideas to create a libertarian society based on voluntary exchanges and associations.

The Etymology and Origins of Agorism

American libertarian philosopher Samuel Edward Konkin III coined the term agorism. To understand the principles that define agorism, we must look towards the ancients.

The word is derived from the Ancient Greek word (Ancient Greek:  ἀγoρά), which refers to an open space where people can assemble and engage in commerce at in a polis— the Ancient Greek word for city-state (πόλις).

Konkin admired free markets and was part of the budding libertarian movement of the 1970s. His sympathies for libertarianism and anarchism made him a natural opponent of the modern-day state. SEK3 was particularly inspired by the works of the Ausrian School economist Ludwig von Mises and his acolytes who pushed for free markets.

The Debates Within the Libertarian Movement on Strategy

In addition to creating a political movement, Konkin gained fame for coining the term “minarchism”, which refers to a form of libertarianism that advocates for a minimal state.

Konkin was functionally an anarchist in his approach to the state. He viewed the state as an immoral entity that not only stifled economic progress but also transgressed on basic human liberties.

In the libertarian movement’s embryonic stage, there were constant debates about how liberty should be ultimately secured. Some libertarian figures advocated for traditional political methods to advance these ideas. The Libertarian Party was viewed as the primary vehicle for effecting change in the traditional political sphere.

There were other libertarians who agreed that the political route was the only way for their ideas to become politically relevant. But they held one caveat: Libertarians should run in the Republican Party. They reasoned that the GOP had libertarian factions within it and a mainstream party with its resources could propel those ideas to new heights.

Others focused on educational means of spreading their message through think tanks, educational institutions, and general culture. Certain schools of libertarianism inspired by Friedrich A. Hayek’s Intellectuals and Socialism, firmly believed that the diffusion of ideas is paramount towards generating change.

Why Ideological Splits Still Matter

There were obvious ideological splits among libertarians as well. There were minarchists, who believed in a minimal state, and the anarchists, who opposed the concept of a state. The latter were more averse to traditional activism, while the former was not afraid to participate in party politics and take part in mainstream academia.

Anti-state individuals have been allured by the unique nature of agorism. What excited them about this free-market philosophy was how it offered a unique opportunity for them to put their principles in action. By carrying the agorist flag, these individuals see market interactions as vehicles of societal liberation from state coercion

The Konkin vs. Rothbard Debate on How to Achieve Liberty

Konkin rose to prominence around the same time as Murray Rothbard, the leading exponent of anarcho-capitalism of that time, became the intellectual pillar for libertarianism.

Apart from his radicalism, Rothbard was known for his political eccentricism. Rothbard was willing to forge alliances with both the Old Right and the New Left. The free-market stalwart was a political junkie through and through. He was fascinated by the intrigue of 20th century politics in America.

Rothbard advocated for conventional political action to advance libertarian ideas. He was initially a strong supporter of the Libertarian Party and saw political parties as vehicles to realize substantial political reforms in the United States. Konkin, by contrast, was not a fan of party politics.

The founder of agorism was of the view that playing in the direct politics game only perpetuates statism. Konkin’s political philosophy focused on direct action in the real world and avoided the political arena altogether.

Continue reading Agorism: The Revolutionary Philosophy of Counter-Economics on Libertas Bella