Liberty and the War on Consciousness
"If the state loses its grip over your mind, it loses the key to its very survival" - Lew RockwellIf the goal of the four decade long war on drugs is to prevent the use and abuse of certain substances theState has deemed harmful for our consumption, then obviously it is a massive failure. Of course, we know better than that. The goal of the war on drugs, like all interventions of the state, is control over its population.Whether its Bloomberg's big gulp ban, Bernanke's destruction of the dollar, or the 1.6 billion bullets ordered by the Department of Homeland Security, the State is in the business of improving the effectiveness of the cage they have built around the taxpaying populace. This should not be surprising for an organization whose sole means of survival comes from its monopoly on the use of force.How does the State fund this war? How does the State fund all of its functions? Through coercive taxation of the citizens.This assault on our economic liberty, which is fundamental to the expression of all other liberties, is the lifeblood of State operations. The recent 'stability levy' imposed upon the people of Cyrpus is a more obvious form of government sanctioned theft. Inflation, on the other hand, is the extraction of wealth that goes unnoticed by most. Stealing from individuals monetarily, and stealing the right of individuals to explore their own consciousness through responsible use of mind-altering plants are necessary to the survival of the state. These forms of theft ultimately limit an individuals ability to prosper, to learn, and to be fully human.Author Graham Hancock explores the (un)intended consequences of State intervention in the personal habits of individuals in his TEDx presentation "The War On Consciousness". After receiving over 100,000 views on the TEDx Youtube channel, the 'idea worth sharing' was removed. Rupert Sheldrake's presentation "The Science Delusion" was also removed. Both talks are worth viewing and sharing. TEDx has reviewed their decision here. The censorship occurred due to the 'unorthodox nature' of both presentations.As Rothbardians, libertarians, and, in general, people who put forth the ideas of a free society - one where mutually beneficial, peaceful voluntary exchange is both preferred and superior to an institutionalized monopoly of violence - we can relate to these presenters and their anti-mainstream views. While the ideas shared in these presentations are certainly controversial, and have been labeled 'pseudoscience' by their detractors, I think there's little harm in entertaining these alternative interpretations of human consciousness. The 'lost knowledge' of ancient shamanistic usage of visionary plants is akin to Austrian economic theory that survived the Keynesian revolution of the 1930s: both are are seeing a reemergence in the information age we currently live in.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpgcIRatxEIHancock's work is supported by Dr. Richard Strassman and his study with DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), a psychedelic compound found in mammals, including humans, and throughout the plant kingdom. DMT is a classified as a Schedule I drug in the United States. Big surprise there. Dr. Strassman's work has been featured in the documentary "DMT: The Spirit Molecule", featuring Joe Rogan. Strassman monitored the effects of DMT on several test subjects, the results of which can be viewed in this short clip.Much like the concepts of sound money, private property, and peace, these ideas are worth spreading. Sociopath Ann Coulter criticized libertarians for 'sucking up' to our liberal friends on the drug war. This just fuels the mainstream narrative that libertarians are only concerned with pot and prostitution. It's not about pot. It's not about prostitution. It's about liberty, property, and the fundamental right of sovereignty over consciousness.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
