AUTHORITARIAN DISCLAIMER:

This manual should always be referred to as a parody of the 1944 OSS publication "Simple Sabotage Field Manual", not to be taken seriously. The distribution and contents of this manual should be controlled and efforts should be made to keep it from falling into the hands of the immature, the authoritarian, or any other childish types that may not have the mental capacity to tolerate alternative viewpoints. Any representative of authority who would try to use this work as evidence in a criminal case should be mocked and shamed for not being intelligent enough to get the joke.

THIS PRODUCT IS COVERED BY A BipCot NoGov LICENSE. USE AND REUSE BY ANYONE EXCEPT GOVERNMENTS OR THEIR AGENTS IS GRANTED.

Further Use Permission: Please feel free to use, re-use, distribute, copy, re-print, take credit for, steal, broadcast, mock, hate, quote, misquote, or modify this product in any way you see fit. Intellectual property is a State based haven of the weak, the stupid, and those lacking confidence in their own ability.

Part 1: PEACEFUL SEDITION

1. THE PURPOSE IS NOT

Many books begin with a statement, introduction, or synopsis of the concept being proposed. Additionally, the purpose of almost every such writing is to convert someone to the author’s viewpoint. I won't be doing that. First and foremost, the purpose of this field manual is not to convert or convince anyone of anything. This manual is written for those who already accept its premise and are, or soon will be, engaging in matters of the kind covered in this manual. The purpose of this manual is to create an overview of why these actions will take place as a record for posterity, and to train and prepare those who take such actions to do them as wisely and as safely as possible. Additionally, this manual includes information the activist may use to help explain why they are taking the path they have chosen. This information is not intended to be an exhaustive work of reference. It is simply a first step in arming and training our friends for the unfortunate and difficult task that is before us. It is intended to be modified and expanded as new information arrives and as the need develops.

My only goal in assembling this manual is to share the wisdom I have learned from my own successes and failures over the years. Those who have a mind to listen and apply my words will do so by their choice, not because of a sales tactic or some emotional plea. If you thought you could use this book as an evangelical tool to convince others that roads can exist without government, you are mistaken. This is not an introduction to libertarian thought, nor is it an anarchist primer. This is a field manual for winning a war against the enemy of humanity, the State.

As a Quaker I feel no obligation to attempt to convert anyone to any viewpoint, therefore I do not support evangelism. I believe every thinking adult should know what they believe and why they believe it, and should be prepared to explain their beliefs in a logical and consistent manner. Likewise I don't believe in any obligation to explain anything to anyone. If I choose to speak, I will speak the truth as I know it. If you choose to heed my words, then do so. If my words offend you, don't read them.

For the last 38 years I have resisted, opposed, or openly fought the State as best as I could with the knowledge and resources I had as my disposal. Much of those efforts were misguided and wrongheaded. Some were downright foolish. I often took the route proposed by those most influential in the movement at the time. Thus I voted for prominent libertarian leaders, donated to their campaigns and causes, bought their books, attended their speeches, supported their web sites and institutes, and generally parroted what they taught. If a libertarian or market anarchist has taught a method for obtaining freedom I have either tried it or I have closely observed others trying it. It is with this body of experience that I present my conclusion; the so called "liberty movement" is doing it wrong.

With the exception of some Bitcoin activists and some computer hackers, those people most celebrated with fame and recognition in the liberty movement are usually deeply committed to one or two of the four conventional strategies that have been proven over and over to be either marginally successful at best or outright counterproductive. This fact is ignored by the wide-eyed followers of those dynamic personalities that flutter about selling these worn-out methods. Therefore we have this field manual, not for those still transfixed by the celebrity libertarian evangelists, nor those with their minds stuck in dusty old books and worn out methods, but for those who have come to the same conclusion that I have; doing the same things over and over expecting different results, while viciously defending old failed methods, is both foolish and tiresome to watch.

I expect most people who begin to read this book will reject it outright as soon as they realize that the premise is to not only encourage specific violent actions, but to teach peaceful people how and when to safely and wisely commit those actions. Of course, I am speaking of staying within the zero aggression principle and I am talking about respecting individual private property, but I am also specifically addressing the fictions of public property and government property, and I am talking about violent and sometimes bloody self-defense, along with disciplined preemptive self-defense.

So without dwelling on failures of the past, and in order to develop a plan for victory we must consider that people are different, and there is no dishonor in that difference. The vast majority of liberty activists are and should remain peaceful. They should endeavor to develop self-control in the face of oppression, and resist the urge to lash out at our captors. Again, there is no dishonor in peacefulness.

The first section of this manual is aimed at that majority of activists, the ones I refer to as the aboveground. Then again, there are those who simply cannot control their urge to physically resist the authoritarians. Perhaps they aren't suited for actual warfare, but they certainly cannot restrain their actions to the realm of speech. This group of activists are the ones who should take careful note of the next section of this manual titled Simple Sabotage. And then there is the tiny minority that do not fit in either of the above categories. They are the few who need to read the final section of this manual titled Irregular Warfare. Thus we have this three part field manual that you hold before you. It is not for everyone. It is targeted at those who need to read it, and all others should openly and loudly denounce it. Every aboveground activist that reads this book should, after finishing it, proclaim it heresy, deny its validity, and then pass it on to that one person you know that needs it.

2. DEFINITIONS

Any conversation worth having should first rest upon a set of definitions. No debate, agreement, or lasting trust can be secured without the parties involved understanding the definitions of the words being used. The following definitions will be used throughout the three parts of this field manual, not so that you can like or agree with these definitions, but so that the definitions in the context of this manual can be consistently understood.

(2-1) Sedition

Sedition is overt conduct or speech provoking people to resist authority, especially that of the State or a specific governing body. In other words, it is that which happens within plain sight of our enemy. Sedition can involve violent or non-violent actions or speech.

(2-1.1) Propaganda

Generally propaganda is information used to promote a cause or point of view. The word propaganda typically carries with it the assumption that something is false or misleading. This doesn't have to be the case. Propaganda can be false or true, but what makes propaganda different from other forms of communication is that propaganda is used specifically to change the way people think or to move the conversation in a specific direction.

(2-2) Subversion

Subversion is an attempt to transform the established social order and its structures of power. Subversion refers to a process by which the values and principles of a system in place are questioned, contradicted, or reversed - usually without open belligerency. In other words, it is that which happens without our enemy seeing. Subversion can involve violent or non-violent actions or speech.

(2-3) Sabotage

Sabotage is action aimed at weakening a polity or corporation through subversion, obstruction, disruption or destruction. Sabotage can range from intentionally doing poorly at a job, to creating a disruptive atmosphere among workers by questioning managers, to actively destroying property. Sabotage can involve violent or non-violent actions or speech.

(2-3.1) Friend-Saboteur

A fellow anarchist/abolitionist/voluntaryist who embraces the zero aggression principle and rejects all forms of coercive slavery, while actively employing the methods of simple sabotage in resistance of the State and its actors.

(2-4) Ethics-Based Irregular Warfare

Irregular warfare favors indirect and asymmetric warfare approaches, though it may employ the full range of military and other capabilities, in order to erode an adversary’s power, influence, and will. It is often defined as a protracted struggle testing the resolve of an occupying government and its strategic partners. It can take the form of insurgency or terrorism, but does not necessarily manifest itself as such in all cases. Ethics-based irregular warfare rejects the use of violence against the non-combatant and their property and favors strategic selective engagement with those considered highly valued or highly aggressive targets.

(2-5) Insurgency

An insurgency is a struggle against authority when those taking part in the struggle are not universally recognized as belligerents. Insurgents are often indigenous people resisting the existing authority or government. An insurgency can involve violent or non-violent actions or speech.

(2-6) The State

In the context of this manual, the State is capitalized as a personal pronoun, rather than its simple legal definition as a noun. The State is the entity/deity, real or imagined, that all aspects of all coercive governments serve as their master. This includes the so-called shadow governments and all those behind the scenes who intentionally facilitate the dominance of humanity through the use of violence and threats of violence coupled with theft and lies.

(2-7) The Great Man

The concept of the Great Man was debated and debunked in the 1800s, but the belief is as old as the State itself, and is more widely accepted today than ever. The basic idea is that God (or nature's god) provides special Great Men to lead society or governments during crisis, or to advance the progress of humanity towards a greater civilization. In reality the Great Man theory is nothing but the old divine-right-of-kings myth, modified with modern terminology. The other half of the Great Man theory that is rarely addressed is the Bogeyman. He is the opposite of the Great Man. He is standing in the shadows, always waiting to take over and destroy civilization as soon as people fail to follow the Great Man. In American politics, the Great Man/Bogeyman has developed into an art form. Every four years a macabre opera is played out at the cost of billions of dollars, as the American people attempt to determine who will be the Great Man and who will fail to raise to the calling. Of course the whole idea of a Great Man/Bogeyman is pure poppycock.

(2-8) Centralized Decentralized and Distributed Networks

Imagine a bicycle wheel with spokes protruding from a central hub. Remove the tire and rim, leaving only the hub in the middle with the spokes protruding outward. At the end of each spoke is an activist. This would be a centralized network of activists. All the activists are connected to the same central hub. If anything happens to the hub, the entire network is affected. Now imagine 5 or 10, or any other number of small hubs with some spokes on each hub connecting to the other hubs. All of the hubs can function independently so if one hub is taken out of the network, the network still mostly functions. But in taking out the one hub you have also taken out all of the spokes and activists that depended on that hub. This is a decentralized network of activists. It is more reliable than a centralized network but still relies on hubs. Now imagine all the hubs are gone, leaving only spokes and activists. The activists connect not to one spoke and one hub, but each activist has two to five spokes or more, each connected to other activists. No activist is a hub, and yet all activists are hubs. No one activist depends solely on another activist, while all activists are within two or three connections from any other activist. This is a distributed network of activists.

(2-9) Activism/Activist

Some very small minded people believe activism only includes activity that they approve of. Others believe that any
action you take, no matter the intent or outcome, is positive activism that should be praised and supported. I call both those types of people "stupid." If you take action you are an activist. Your activism may be useful or useless. It may be wise or foolish. It may be dramatic or calming. It may do what you expect or it may not. Activism is not defined by the intent nor the results of the action. Activism is defined as action taken for a purpose. Judging the wisdom or the efficacy of the activism is a completely different matter.

(2-10) Slacktivism

Some newer definitions for slacktivism are derogatory perversions of its original meaning. For the purposes of this manual, slacktivism is defined closer to its original positive meaning. This manual defines slacktivism, for example in an employment setting, as intentionally doing a really bad job while not doing anything bad enough to get fired. A specific example of slacktivism would be a waiter who finds himself too busy helping one customer with minor issues to attend to the basic needs of an important customer who is the target of the slacktivism. In customer service, a slacktivist may waste the target's time going over details, having them repeat information, apologizing over and over while either not solving the target's problem or taking longer than required to solve it.

(2-11) Corporation

According to the United States Government, a corporation is an independent legal entity. This means that the corporation itself is held legally liable for the actions and debts of the business. Additionally the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that a corporation is a legal "person". The legal "person" status of corporations gives the business perpetual life; deaths of officials or stockholders do not alter the corporation. And the SCOTUS has ruled that corporations, like humans, have "certain" rights that are protected by the US Constitution. I may not like this definition and you may not like this definition: Too bad. This is how the US Government sees it and most other governments largely agree. Therefor this is how the word will be used in this manual. You may like corporations or you may hate them. It doesn't matter.

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TO BE CONTINUED...

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This post has been edited and abridged from the original SEDITION SUBVERSION AND SABOTAGE FIELD MANUAL by Ben Stone.

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For more articles and podcasts on liberty, the zero-aggression principle, and property rights, go to badquaker.com, and thank you for reading.