COMMUNITY
Contributed by Staci Yates, MY House
January is dedicated to raising awareness of human trafficking throughout the U.S. and the world. There are estimated to be more than 24.9 million people — adults and children — subjected to human trafficking around the world, including in the United States. In the most recent report from The Bureau of Justice Statistics, Human Trafficking Data Collection Activities, 2022, the most recent data from 2020 was highlighted including:
A total of 2,198 persons were referred to U.S. Attorneys for human trafficking offenses in fiscal year 2020, a 62% increase from the 1,360 persons referred in 2011.
• The number of persons prosecuted for human trafficking increased from 729 in 2011 to 1,343 in 2020, an 84% increase.
The number of persons convicted of a federal human trafficking offense increased from 2011 (464 persons) to 2019 (837 persons), before falling in 2020 (658 persons).
At yearend 2020, for the 47 states that reported data, 1,564 persons were in the custody of a state prison serving a sentence for a human trafficking offense.
O f the 1,169 defendants charged in U.S. district court with human trafficking offenses in fiscal year 2020 —92%
were male, 63% were white, 18% were black, 17% were Hispanic, 95% were U.S. citizens, and 66% had no prior convictions.
What about Alaska’s stats? Our state is working on building better data to reflect the true numbers of trafficking cases in Alaska, but we believe we have some of the highest numbers in the nation. In the 2019 FBI Uniform Crime Report indicates Alaska’s rate of sexual assault is nearly 4 times the national average. Alaska has 161.6 sexual assaults per 100,000 residents, compared to 42.6 nationally. Child sexual assaults here in Alaska are nearly 6 times the national average, read that again, SIX TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
MY House in Wasilla has 456 current clients with 34 clients reporting being trafficked here locally. 82% of trafficked clients report mental health conditions, 76% of trafficked clients reported having experienced domestic violence and 77% reported trading sex for needs. The MY House stats reflect that we do indeed have a problem with trafficking and those are just the ones brave enough to report it in our survey.
MY House provides wrap around services for survivors of human trafficking which include: Safe House Transitional Living, Substance Abuse Treatment with partners True North and Set Free,
Mental Health Services with partners Mat-Su Behavioral Health, SART on site, High School Completion Program, Job Training with partner Nine Star, Case Managers & Navigators on site. We surround our clients with wrap around services to promote healing and wholeness to those who have experienced the hideous, silent crime of human trafficking.
For the month of January MY House has several ways they are bringing awareness to Wasilla. The MY House Gathering Grounds Café and Perk Ups of Wasilla will be using the coffee sleeves with each purchase that provides a message of how to recognize and report human trafficking. As an effort to raise awareness they also have 12 organizations supporting and participating in wearing the “Stop Human Trafficking T-shirts” on the same day to bring a collective awareness to our communities.
Participating are the organizations below: City of Wasilla, Mayor Glenda Ledford Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce Matanuska Federal Credit Union Remax of the Valley Motto Mortgage UMV Northern Industrial Training Bore Tide Construction Mac Federal Credit Union Good, Better, Best
Youth for Sitka Priceless Knik Sunny Chapel Knik Tribe
Together we can make a bigger impact in raising our voices to say we want human trafficking in Alaska and our communities to STOP! I want to say a big thank you to the organizations and individuals who stand with MY House in January as we fight the silent crime of human and sex trafficking.
Our youth today need us more than ever to speak to them about what healthy relationships look like and more importantly, what they do not look like! For a great resource on how to talk to youth about healthy relationships and human trafficking please go to The Blue Campaign/Homeland Security and download the guide “How to Talk to Youth about Human Trafficking”. Blue Campaign Toolkits and Guides | Homeland Security (dhs.gov)
Another way to get involved is to join ASHTA (Alaska Stop Human Trafficking Alliance) and be a part of the conversations on how to better combat trafficking in Alaska. You may email ASTHA’S chair, Staci Yates at notrafficking@ myhousematsu.org. You may also email her to schedule a training in 2023 for your organization on understanding trafficking in Alaska.
Staci Yates, MY House Director of Human Trafficking Recovery Services notrafficking@myhousematsu.org 907-373-4357
MAT-SU
COMMUNITY
Contributed by Taylor Jordan
(TRIGGERING EVENT WARNING) Black Birch Books is hosting a Great and Terrible event in a presentation format not often seen. Join us Saturday, January 28th from 1pm-3pm for The Human Garden Experience: Planting seeds of understanding in your garden of thought and acceptance.
Contributed by Debra McGhan
For many, the turning of the calendar includes sharing tips, tricks or messages about resolutions. Vowing to start, change or do something to improve your life; to help you on your path to grow and become a better, healthier, happier you. Maybe you want to eat better, sleep more, work out, make money, ride your snowmachine… whatever the goal, it’s all about choices and building new habits that will maintain the energy required to achieve these goals.
In years past, safety protocols and building awareness skills have been a big focus in my world. Having lived through numerous life challenging experiences which required tools, knowledge, supplies and determination to overcome, I understand how critical those things are in times of crisis.
I survived a twenty-below-zero ride on a snowmachine because I was dressed
Contributed by Marilyn Bennett
Are you as happy as we are that 2022 is over? At our house we are so ready to have a new year. Last year was crazy. To start the year off, we had a wind storm on New Year’s Day which took down two of our fences, blew away our small greenhouse and ripped the cover off our camper. It was a tough start to the year. As the year progressed we both had significant health problems. Then the year came to an end with another huge windstorm.
Thank goodness that 2022 is over and we can all start over again. 2023 has to be a great year if only because I survived last year. Also, I have begun this year with several new resolutions. To begin with, I have made several great New Year’s resolutions. I even wrote them down, and made a day-to-day plan, to ensure I won’t forget. I know you think I will weaken in a few days or certainly by the end of the month. However, I have been spending the past year reading motivational books and listening to podcasts. I am determined to completely reorganize my life to be more positive no matter what happens. So here is what I have learned:
Most of the self help programs begin with getting up each morning at the same time. Ok, I can do that.
Next most of them go something like this: Make your bed. Ignore your phone. Go outside. Set a program for the day Brush your teeth. Say you are wonderful in your mirror.
I might have to skip the saying I am wonderful as when I look in the mirror first thing in the morning, I am in no mood to tell myself anything. Decided to wait until I had my first cup of coffee before trying that part of the program.
I was pleased that one of things most of the self help books thought important was making the bed first thing in the
We have five, safe, guest speakers sharing their real, unfiltered experiences with those who wish to attend. Experiences include: Drug addiction, criminal convictions, human trafficking victim, sexual assault victim and military PTSD. Each individual has their own labeled table for small groups of people to transition through. As we expect the moment to become overwhelming, we have an on site professional to assist in
warmly and when we broke down miles from home, the person I was with knew how to start the machine with his belt instead of the starter cord.
I survived a white water lake crossing in an open canoe during a raging storm because we all wore life jackets, stayed centered in the boat and paddled into the waves to keep from capsizing.
I survived falling through the ice because I was taught to carry something sharp in my pocket when traveling over ice so I’d have a way to pull myself out if I fell in. I had a stubby screwdriver that day.
In my career, I have also heard many stories of others’ close calls. One year while camping at Arctic Man in the Alaska Range just north of Paxon at Summit Lake, a man walked into the avalanche forecast safety center where I was working with two of his friends and told me he had a story to share.
The three friends had been highmarking (riding as far up a steep face as possible) around the area when they set
morning. That is the one thing that I have always done and I regularly brush my teeth before my first cup of coffee.
Ignore your phone! That part is easy for me as I have refused to become attached to my phone and in fact only have an (old fashioned) flip phone. I know that sounds almost medieval (as my daughters would say) but with my eyesight I prefer a big screen and so only use my phone for what it was originally intended for....calling a friend or for use in an emergency.
Then there was the suggestion that I should keep a log of all the good things that happen each day because of my positive attitude. That actually sounds like a lot of work and if nothing good happens it could be depressing so I have decided to skip that part of the program.
Make plans the night before for the next day. As I noted earlier I have actually planned the entire year out and so only have to get up each day and follow the plan.
Go outside. Now that is something that has taken on more importance to me since the windstorm just before this Christmas. It piled up a four foot drift in front of our front door and a five foot drift on our deck and patio door to effectively trap us inside over Christmas. Luckily we were not expecting company, as both daughters went south for Christmas. We did have heat, intermittent electricity and plenty of great food so we were fine. It did, however, make both Doug and I appreciate the freedom of being able to leave the house. We also marveled how the pioneers existed up here before central heating and well insulated houses.
I am so looking forward to this new year and would like to share one of my favorite New Year Quotes:
“The New Year is a painting not yet
breathing exercises and calming techniques as needed.
This is a free event for the community. There will be a donation jar available if you feel so moved.
* Our facility is fully handicap accessible. Only those attending the event will be allowed entry. No children under 12 are permitted.
(TRIGGERING EVENT WARNING) All guest speakers will be sharing their
off an avalanche.
“I wasn’t paying attention until I realized this thing was about to swallow me and I was down in a little gully,” said Robert Woods. “I managed to throttle out but it scared me and made me realize, you really do have to take riding around here serious. I heard about a guy killed here last year and now I really understand just how easy something like that can happen.”
“Yes,” I told him. “Last spring we lost two riders in this area. One, a young mother who left behind two small children, and then, the very next day, the man you are talking about. He, like you, was just out riding with his buddies.”
He thanked me for being there to raise awareness and share safety tips and tricks. All three wanted to sign up for a training session. I thanked them for sharing their story. Those shared stories help us learn, grow and avoid tragic endings.
My resolution this year is to continue supporting avalanche and snowma-
painted; a path not yet stepped on, a wing not yet taken off! Things haven’t happened as yet!
Before the clock strikes twelve, remember that you are blessed with the ability to reshape your life!” Mehmet Murat Ildan, Turkish Author
Also, remember your New Year’s resolution and let it inspire you to have the best year ever, no matter what outside events conspire against you. I have found that adversity helps all of us appreciate the good times and shows us the kindness of our neighbors and friends.
Wishing you the best New Year ever. As for me, I will be writing more, painting more and getting out and about. Hope to see you and share good times with you and yours in our delightful little city of Palmer.
real, unfiltered experiences with those who wish to attend. This is always a safe space. By hosting this event we are planting the seeds of understanding in your garden of thought and acceptance.
~ Black Birch Books is a female, disabled veteran owned small business who exclusively hires homeless youth from the community. We are the only bookstore in Wasilla and the only bookbinder in the state of Alaska. ~ 2901 E. Bogard Rd. Wasilla
chine safety. Continue writing stories that enlighten, encourage and motivate people to learn and think about their actions and the potential consequences of those actions before they set out to explore Alaska. And always continue striving to be the best human I can be. This year I want to be present and thoughtful in all my actions. I want to share the skills and knowledge I have acquired along my journey with others who want to learn how they can come back to ride another day.
One of the organizations I’m supporting is Alaska Safe Riders. The board, made up of Iron Dog Champions, community business leaders and retired teachers, offers free school and community outreach training thanks to grants, donors and members.
If one of your resolutions is to get out and explore Alaska more, I hope you join Alaska Safe Riders, or one of the other non-profit organizations offering outdoor safety education classes around Alaska. You can learn more at alaskasaferiders.com or Alaskasnow.org.
Arctic Man 2015 1 – Riders heading for the starting of the race Arctic Man 2015 2 – Training camp at Arctic ManKevin Salys – with the Alaska Avalanche Information Center teaching proper probing techniques
Sarah Carter – with the Alaska Avalanche Information Center teaching children safe protocols for playing in the mountains
COMMUNITY
Contributed by Josh Nestler
The Wasilla Vet Center has moved to 1751 E Gardner Way, Suite B. The Wasilla Vet Center remains conveniently located in the community to assist Veterans and their families build meaningful connections and develop tools for achieving success in both military and civilian lives.
The Wasilla Vet Center offers counseling services to eligible Veterans and family members, referrals to community and VA services, and community engagement opportunities. The Wasilla Vet Center also provides a welcoming environment, community support, as well as
Contributed by Alys Culhane
The Bright Lights Book Project is now three years old. It is much like Margret and H.A. Rey’s Curious George – somewhat independent, but as always, in need of constant supervision.
When I began this project, I thought that the overhead would remain low. There was just me, who volunteered my time. And because I was distributing just a handful of books a week, my gas costs were negligible. Here’s what happened:
I discovered that there were literally hundreds of books in chest-high boxes, on the VCRS processing floor. I was further told that paperbacks were being shredded by a cadre of dedicated volunteers, and the hardbacks were being pulped. That day I took a few boxes of books, some of which I kept, and some of which I passed on to friends. Shortly thereafter, I resumed literary dumpster diving. I continued to pass books on to appreciative readers. I attribute the continued growth to community support. The common refrain became “Free books! What a wonderful idea!”
It worked both ways. There was never any shortage of books. The Mat-Su and Anchorage School district, community members, and family members donated what became an endless supply of books. And young and old began taking the salvaged books. As Logan Dillinger of Alaska Nomad Cinematics once remarked, “you created a need!” There were so many books coming into VCRS that the staff opened their own bookstore, Rescue Books. There, for a pittance, readers could acquire additional books. BLBP volunteers came from out of the proverbial woodwork. They continue to salvage, sort, clean, categorize, and distribute books.
This past summer the Bright Lights Book Project was a mainstay at the Palmer Museum and Visitor’s Center during Friday Fling. We also passed out BLBP
Contributed by Cherime MacFarlane
The furnace died in November, shortly before Thanksgiving. The company I called did everything they could to resurrect the old thing. No go. That meant I needed a new one. Since this is a homebuilt cabin, not any old furnace will do. Then, there is the age of the owner, 80, and the age of the cabin, 40.
First on the to-do list, was locating a furnace Outside and getting it shipped up here. Along came the snow apocalypse and a series of weird things happening all at once. It became apparent I wouldn’t have any heat for all of December other than two small radiant electric heaters and my tiny wood stove.
This is where we come to the meat of the story. I had some wood but not enough to make it to furnace delivery time. After rounding up what looked as if it might do the job, I set about getting the stove ready for a month of hard labor.
I usually use the small stove with a glass insert in the door to help ease the
books at the Menard Center Emergency Preparedness Fair and at the Nutcracker Performing Arts Center nonprofit rehearsal. Additionally, books were included in bags of goodies passed out on Christmas day at the Menard Center Family Christmas Dinner. We sent several boxes of books to several Alaskan villages – air cargo carriers donated freight space. I flew to Barrow and assisted Pamella Sampson in organizing a book fair at the Kiita Alternative School.
We eventually moved our basecamp from VCRS to the Meeting House/ Church of the Covenant at 415 S. Bailey Street. This location was a perfect logistical fit in terms of our local book distribution network. It began with my contacting local business owner Janet Kincaid, who allowed us to stock bookcases in the Valley Hotel and the hallway by Vagabond Blues. Turkey Red owner Alex Papasavas followed suit. This was just the beginning. We now have twenty-five plus bookcases located in Palmer, Sutton, and Wasilla. And the books go fast; in fact, they go so fast that on some days we distribute them in some locations twice-daily.
This past February (with the assistance of Senator Lisa Murkowski) the Bright Lights book Project acquired 501(c) (3) nonprofit status. The Mat-Su Health Foundation, the Palmer Community Foundation, MTA, and Saltchuk provided us with funding. And shortly thereafter, the Bright Lights Board of Directors held its first meeting. When asked, I say no, I never thought that the Bright Lights Book Project would become what BLBP supporter Timothy Miller calls, “A Community Mainstay.”
First, there was a mission statement, which was “to get books into the hands of appreciative readers.” Then came a vision statement, which is “envisioning the power of literacy to change lives.” We’re now looking to the future. I, along with BLBP board members, are envisioning the creation of a literacy center, one
practical and therapeutic services.
While no reopening ceremony date has been set yet, our doors are open to the community we serve. Vet Center operating hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM-4:30PM.
heating situation when the temperature drops below -15. The electric heaters, with both going full blast, will keep the downstairs at about 45 degrees. With a nice wool blanket, the loft stays warm enough for sleeping. But that’s too cold for comfort downstairs where everything else is.
The wood stove had to work properly.
I’d installed a draft inducer years ago. Best move I’ve made in a while. If it’s very cold and the wind is howling, that blower makes all the difference in getting and keeping a fire going until the bed of coals is hot enough to light every split you toss in.
The glass needed a new seal. When you know if you break that glass, you are flat out of luck, removing it and installing the new seal is a hold your breath operation. Since the woven stuff is tubular, it needs to be compressed ever so gently while you try to get the nuts back on the studs.
A few prayers and patience got me through that one. Now I had to remember a lot of things I learned out in the Copper Basin the first nine years I
lived in Alaska. Heating with wood is a science. You don’t just throw a hunk of wood on the stove and expect it to heat you. What kind of wood are you using to start the fire? What do you use to build the bed of coals that will radiate the heat you need?
It all came back quickly. I hope to have the furnace in the first week of January. If it isn’t, it will be time to buy more wood. I want a mix of birch and spruce. The spruce gets it started and the birch burns slow and steady. Once I have the dampers set right, that little stove that barely holds three splits sixteen inches long will heat the entire house. I keep glancing at the glass in the door so I can gauge when the next log should go in. And it burns efficiently. I need to clean out the excess ash about every two days.
It’s messy, but I have and will always maintain it. Nothing heats like wood, nothing. I will be glad to get the oil-fired furnace going. I do hate getting up to a cold house. As my husband used to say, “Needs must when the devil drives.” If I find it necessary to buy more wood, I have a phone number and will call. It’s been years since I had to depend on a wood stove, but it can be done, and I will if I must. Time to throw in another log. Stay warm, y’all.
in which local educators will focus on their specific areas of expertise in teaching reading, writing, and ESL classes.
The vision and mission statement combined have created a need on our part for two buildings. The first will be a book distribution center. The second will be the above-mentioned literacy center. To do this, we’re going to need financial backing. We’re currently compiling a list, one which we’ll draw upon when asking local business owners, corporate
entities, and community members for financial support. We’ll do this directly (by contacting potential donors) and indirectly, by asking potential contributors to go to our website, www.brightlightsbookproject.org, and make an online donation.
Sometimes I look at how far we have to go. And sometimes I look at how far we’ve come. Other times, I shake my head and go “wow.”
Liberty, Liberally
Volume III - Issue I January 2023
A lot of people dismiss Marx because of the historical outcomes of Marxism. They see, rightly, that Marxism has completely failed in every instance that it was instituted. They feel justified in their willful ignorance of Marx and his philosophy by thinking (wrongly) that it has no value to society. Clearly, it has great value. We learn more from folly and failure than from our successes.
By ignoring Marx, they ignore the transformative power of his philosophy. In short, they never see it coming.
Marxism is an active philosophy that is not only theory, but praxis. It puts into practice a process of transformative politics that is designed to initiate a chain reaction that ultimately achieves revolution. Marxism is progressive.
They do not know the theories of Marx, those who are affected by it.
Marx borrowed heavily from German philosopher, Hegel, who is most known for his concept ‘thesis-antithesissynthesis’. This sounds all sciency, but it’s simple, really:
The old idea (thesis) eventually encounters the new idea (antithesis), and in the conflict between the two a third idea (synthesis) emerges. Hegel was philosophizing about ideas and how they develop in human history.
Marx, however, took Hegel’s idea and adapted it to a social theory. His philosophy was that the thesis (however society does something now) can be countered by its antithesis (how the revolutionaries want society to do things) and that the result is how society emerges from that conflict, this being the synthesis of the old way and new.
What comes from that philosophy is a new kind of activism; a sophistic, disingenuous activism is synthesized, and it is a poison to a free society. While Hegel was a friend to the philosophy of Liberalism (not to be confused with the modern tribal political faction), and believed strongly in individual liberty as did the founders of the United States, Marx had a completely different definition of individual liberty.
(We see more and more how language being redefined is the primary form of Marxist manipulation of society, and Marx paved the way in that regard.)
When Marx’s concept of social change is applied knowingly, in order to bring about social change, it is taking advantage of human nature, as Hegel described it. Clearly, since Marxists the world over have affected change in this way, Hegel was on to something. His description of how ideas have changed over time was repurposed, to intentionally bring about changes that were not the natural process. Hegel described how ideas have changed, but Marx prescribed how society should and could change. Hegel provided a broad view of human nature, then Marx provided the impetus to artificially affect nature, using Hegel’s insight to do so.
The reason I advocate for understanding Marx goes beyond the maxim of “know your enemy”. Marxism has competed with the philosophy of Liberty, as defined by the Liberal philosophers, very successfully. While Marxism fails at establishing a better society from it’s artificial influence, it succeeds greatly in destroying the Liberal society that it influences. By a sophistic process of redefining words, on purpose, it makes impossible any honest public discourse, muddying the waters. It takes advantage of the freedoms of Liberalism, like free expression and guarantees of life, liberty and property, all the while undermining the same. Marx succeeded in developing a formidable enemy, the antithesis of Liberty, and as Hegel would tell you, the synthetic outcome will come.
To ignore how this process works, to remain ignorant of human nature while others weaponize that same knowledge against humanity, is the dereliction of duty that our great philosophers of Liberty all warned against. To be free, and to squander that freedom on indulgence and a life of ease, instead of enduring effort and study, leads to the eventual loss of liberty. We’ve been warned, again and again, yet here we are. Most folks today don’t know anything about Marx, or the so-called Neo-Marxist thought that is the source of so much social justice theory today. They don’t see how it works, even as it works against them all the time.
To ignore Marxist philosophy is to accept a Marxist reality.
October 25, 2022
Art is self expression, language is a medium, or even a tool of art.
Language is how we engage in the civic process. While this process and its product have been bifurcated from the realm of art, this separation was only a function of art. The ability to separate, conceptually through language, the art of self-expression and the self-expression of civic engagement are only as old as self-governance has been a model of society. Liberalism, and other attempts at self-governance, were philosophical first. They came into the world by virtue of the moniker “liberal arts”, after all.
The arts of liberty include the trivium, the first three of the seven liberal arts: grammar, rhetoric, and logic. The trivium, this triune tradition of clear communication was at one time fit for a king. Only royalty and religious leaders were worried with such things. Monarchy was authoritarian. Monarchy didn’t need the serfs and slaves to govern themselves. The concept of liberty of the individual was foreign to those societies.
However, humanity was born free, and the Monarchs were actually oppressing the people as much as protecting their people. How did they oppress, or as they described it, rule them? Via language.
“Author” is the root of authoritarian. This is the DNA of the word “authoritarian”, and it tells us a lot about the nature of authoritarian rule, being oppression.
How did they rule/oppress the people?
With authorship?
Yes.
Fiat. Rule by fiat. This was the form of government that enslaved all of humanity. They simply made the claim, and laid claim, to the people, and were willing to enforce that rule by military means. Humanity had never known another way than to be ruled, and accepted this ancient reality as commonplace throughout almost all of history.
Make Art A Poem
by Joshua Fryfogle
Make art of this No matter what this is Do your part and it Becomes what it is
Etymology of Fiat: fiat (n.)
1630s, "authoritative sanction," from Latin fiat "let it be done" (used in the openingofMedievalLatinproclamations and commands), third person singular present subjunctive of fieri "be done, become, come into existence" (from PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow"), used as passive of facere "to make, do." Meaning "a decree, command, order" is from 1750. In English the word also sometimes is a reference to fiat lux "let there be light" in Genesis i.3.
Remember, the liberal philosophy is new on the earth. The totalitarians (fascists and communists alike) don’t even believe it’s a real thing. They are the intellectual and moral inheritors of authoritarianism, minus the spiritual concept of Divine Right of Kings. Liberalism, on the other hand, is the recognition of the divine right of each individual to govern themselves - the opposite of authoritarian and totalitarian thought.
For millennia these authoritarian rulers had ruled the people everywhere. They did so by making a claim to a divine right from God to rule. They, and they alone, had “liberty”. Liberty existed in contrast to its antithesis, serfdom and slavery. However, the printing press set things in motion that allowed the average individual to avail themselves of the written word. Never before had it been practical for the average individual to express themselves with language, as scrolls were all hand written and very expensive. How expensive? A scribe, working full time, might spend several years making copies of other works, and only the wealthiest in society could afford such a luxury, least of all a serf. In our modern times, we tend to take for granted our ability to speak, think, write, and learn so freely. Ironically, if we read more history, we would likely take reading more seriously. We forget that widespread literacy was achieved following the rise of philosophical liberalism. Our ability to read and write, to express ourselves, is our artistic ability. An individual exists, self-evidently, by virtue of their selfexpression. This is art, in it’s simplest, purest form.
The activist dimension of Marx’s philosophy cannot be ignored, so the theoretical dimension of Marx shouldn’t be.
The Pro-slavery Perspective
Written by George Fitzhugh, 1854*,
With commentary from Joshua Fryfogle, on MLK Day, January 16, 2023
(Note from Joshua Fryfogle: I’m including this in Liberty, Liberally, for the purpose of comparison. I’ll ask the reader to consider as they read this pro-slavery sentiment from 1854 (nine years before the Emancipation Proclamation) how the justifications presented for slavery are not unfamiliar today. Consider the arguments put forth by Fitzhugh in 1854, in his academic response to the abolitionist movement. They mirror precisely the arguments made today against the Liberty movement in general. Below are excerpts from the writings of Fitzhugh, with my comments added here and there.)
“TEN YEARS AGO (I) became satisfied that slavery, black or white, was right and necessary.... Liberty and equality are new things under the sun. The free states of antiquity abounded with slaves. The feudal system that supplanted Roman institutions changed the form of slavery, but brought with it neither liberty nor equality. France and the Northern States of our Union have alone fully and fairly tried the experiment of a social organization founded upon universal liberty and equality frights... The experiment has already failed, it we are to form our opinions from the discontent of the masses... Liberty and equality have not conduced to enhance the comfort or the happiness of the people... The struggle to better one's condition, to pull others down or supplant them is the great organic law of free society. All men being equal, all aspire to the highest honors and the largest possessions... None but the selfish virtues are encouraged, because none other aid a man in the race of free competition... The bestowing upon men of equality of rights, is but giving license to the strong to oppress the weak...”
Fitzhugh rightly points out that the ideas of Liberty and equality were new ideas on the earth, and that slavery is ancient. He points to the discontent that inevitably becomes apparent of any free people who are not prohibited from speaking freely, and characterizes that ongoing public discourse as failure. He claims that Liberty and equality have not made people happier, presumably because we now know how we, the People, truly feel. He claims, like his contemporary Karl Marx, that individual Liberty as presented by the liberal philosophers was giving the strong power over the weak.
“There is no rivalry, no competition to get employment among slaves, as among free laborers. Nor is there a war between master and slave. The master's interest prevents his reducing the slave's allowance or wages in infancy or sickness, for he might lose the slave by so doing His feeling for his slave never permits him to stint him in old age. The slaves are all well fed, well clad, have plenty of fuel, and are happy. They have no dread of the future - no fear of want. A state of dependence is the only condition in which reciprocal affection can exist among human beings- the only situation in which the war of competition ceases, and peace, amity and good will arise. A state of independence always begets more or less of jealous rivalry and hostility. A man loves his children because they are weak, help less and dependent; he loves his wife for similar reasons...”
In his second paragraph, Fitzhugh points out that the slaves do not have to compete in the job market, but are assigned by their masters a guaranteed, but mandatory position in the workforce. This, too, is consistent with Marxist theory. The master is not at odds with the slave, he says, seemingly oblivious to the moral wrong that he is describing. Ironically, slaves know better than to speak freely, so he would necessarily be unaware of how they feel. To Fitzhugh, this all makes sense. It makes sense to a dictator as well.
He also describes the economic providence of the master to the slave, with the master making sure that everyone is cared for at a bare minimum. Marx thought that the
State should do this for all working class people, just as Fitzhugh thought the master should provide for his slave. He then compares the master’s relationship with the slave as being like a parent to a child. Marx, interestingly, believed that class society exists because the State and the Family unit serve to reinforce it. Both the slave master and the Marxist think it morally acceptable to mimic the family unit in their designs to control others. This desire for paternalistic control over other people was, when both Marx and Fitzhugh lived, still the prevailing perspective all over the earth. Remember, liberty and equality were still quite new in 1854.
Describing the economic conditions of the slave-holding South, Fitzhugh argued:
“This ratio of improvement has been approximated or exceeded wherever in the South slaves are numerous... Wealth is more equally distributed than at the North, where a few millionaires own most of the property of the country. (These millionaires are men of cold hearts and weak minds; they know how to make money, but not how to use it, either for the benefit of themselves or of others.)”
Fitzhugh invokes equal distribution of wealth, the clarion call of anyone influenced by Marx’s philosophy. He then goes on to blame the “millionaires” for being heartless. These are modern, progressive talking points, talking to us from the year 1854. They remind us that dictators believe themselves noble, enslaving those who would be enslaved, “caring” for them. In reality, they seek power and control over other human beings.
Modern progressivism and actual Liberalism are at odds. They always have been. The liberty movement, in it’s infancy, was opposed by men like Fitzhugh, who might have even read the writings of Marx, since they were contemporaries. Neither Fitzhugh or Marx agreed
I can’t be sure of this, because it is only my own perception of Marx and the time of slavery in the US, but my view of history has never placed Karl Marx as living during the same time period as American slavery. For whatever reason, Marx has been presented to us as sophisticated, forward thinking, somehow removed from the milieu of history. Simultaneously, however, I perceive slavery as an antiquated, and thankfully discontinued practice. In truth, Marx lived during that time, when liberty lovers were actually abolishing slavery for the first time in history. Meanwhile, Marx dreamed of “ending” slavery by making everyone a slave - never needing to look for work, because they were assigned work. Never going hungry, because they were allotted just enough. While the liberal philosophers and founding fathers actually did something to end the ancient abomination of slavery, Marx imagined how to make it more efficient.
I have so many friends who call themselves ‘liberal’. Truly, I love these people in my life, and I usually get along with them a little bit better than most Republicans and conservatives that I know - although I certainly count many conservatives as close. My interests are in literature and letters, music and culture, the liberal arts - the arts of Liberty! So those who call themselves liberal, but then embrace these so-called ‘criticallyconscious’ concepts that are rooted in Marxist theory... it’s just so perplexing for me. I worry that they conflate Marxist thought with liberal thought, when Marx hated liberalism more than anything else. He believed that liberalism was a means of exploitation, while being blind to the hell his philosophy would soon unleash on the earth. Liberalism is the wellspring of Liberty, and it’s for this reason that I’ve entitled this monthly publication Liberty, Liberally.
We must remember that these repackaged ideas of Marx are not, and cannot possibly be construed as ‘being liberal.’
It’s imperative that the tradition of liberalism not be destroyed, in name or in practice. We liberals, who are actually liberal in character and belief, must not forget that while communists have failed miserably all over the world, their repeated attempts all ending in mass-murder, we liberals have brought lasting liberty to much of the world.
*Source: George Fitzhugh, Sociology for the South, or the Failure of Free Society (Richmond, Va., 1854), pp. 225-55
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.”
“But, to protect men, we must have the power of controlling them. We must first enslave them before we can protect them.”
- George Fitzhugh
“Political economy is the science of free society. It’s theory and its history alike establish this position. Its fundamental maxims, laissez-faire (“let do”) and ‘Pas tromp gouverner’ (“govern not too much”) are at war with all kinds of slavery, for they in fact assert that individuals and peoples proper most when governed least.”
- George Fitzhugh
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