Reading your interview with John Conner (Anarchy no. 47) I saw that he states that Micah "succeed[ed] in getting a May 1998 LGSC speaking tour through Scotland cancelled." In the interest of truth, I feel that I should point out that nothing of the kind actually happened. What did happen was that the meeting tour, which was being organised by the Scottish Anarchist Network (SAN), was postponed after Micah brought to our attention certain articles in Green Anarchist (namely the infamous "Irrationalists" article). I must stress this point as Green Anarchist has continually stated that we cancelled it at the order of Micah. Indeed, Green Anarchist went so far as to state that we Anarchists in Glasgow were "sheep," following Micah's decrees without question (anyone who knows the Scottish movement will know how far from reality such an assertion actually is). Ironically, the only people who did follow Micah was Green Anarchist themselves who took Micah's wish as a SAN decision!
So why did we decide to postpone the meeting tour? Simply so we could discuss the issues Micah raised. Micah desired to have the tour cancelled, other comrades were not so sure. Unfortunately, the issue became mote as the tour was effectively cancelled by Green Anarchists assumption we were all sheep following Micah's orders. One thing which we all did agree on was that the article in question, with its celebration of terrorism against the general public, had nothing to do with anarchism (and, indeed, humanity). Stating that murdering innocent people was the "right idea" suggests a deeply authoritarian position and one in direct opposition of the goals of anarchism --- namely individual and working class self-liberation. Such a position, I would also argue, reflects the politics of Unabomber and, therefore, not anarchist. I quote from the manifesto Industrial Society and Its Future:
194. Probably the revolutionaries should even AVOID assuming political power, whether by legal or illegal means, until the industrial system is stressed to the danger point and has proved itself to be a failure in the eyes of most people. . . the revolutionaries should not try to acquire political power until the system has gotten itself into such a mess that any hardships will be seen as resulting from the failures of the industrial system itself and not from the policies of the revolutionaries. The revolution against technology will probably have to be a revolution by outsiders, a revolution from below and not from above.
In other words, the aims of "revolutionaries" is to "acquire political power." This is may be revolutionary, but it is not anarchism. Anarchism, by definition, is against the acquiring of political power -- it is for its destruction. Clearly this places the Unabomber outside the anarchist tradition and the anarchist movement, unless of course anarchism now includes those who seek political power (which makes the Trotskyites anarchists as they seek a "revolution from below" in which they assume political power). Perhaps this explains the earlier comment that:
193. The kind of revolution we have in mind will not necessarily involve an armed uprising against any government. It may or may not involve physical violence, but it will not be a POLITICAL revolution. Its focus will be on technology and economics, not politics.
After all, if the Unabomber does seek "political power" then a revolution which had involved an uprising against "any" government could put the new government in a dangerous position. Having done it against the old bosses, they may just do it against the new ones. So it looks like Freedom (who insisted that Unabomber was not an anarchist) were right and Conner's attempts to dismiss their claims misguided
Like all vanguardists, Unabomber downplays the importance of working class self-liberation. He states that:
189. Prior to that final struggle, the revolutionaries should not expect to have a majority of people on their side. History is made by active, determined minorities, not by the majority, which seldom has a clear and consistent idea of what it really wants. Until the time comes for the final push toward revolution, the task of revolutionaries will be less to win the shallow support of the majority than to build a small core of deeply committed people. As for the majority, it will be enough to make them aware of the existence of the new ideology and remind them of it frequently; though of course it will be desirable to get majority support to the extent that this can be done without weakening the core of seriously committed people.
Yes, the minorities with a "new ideology" who will lead the majority (after gaining their "support", perhaps) to the new land... Well, I have heard that before and not from the mouths of anarchists. Yes, anarchists are (or at least should be) an "active, determined minority" but we are such in order to increase the influence of anarchist ideas and so produce a social movement which aims to transform society into something better. Rather than get the "support" of others, we desire them to act for themselves, think for themselves and create their own future, for that is the only way an anarchist society can be created. We do not have a "new ideology" seeking to "acquire political power." These comments by Unabomber indicate how far from anarchism he actually is. Rather than a popular movement against the state, his vision is of a vanguard seizing power even if they do not have the "support" of the majority of people. Democratic government at best, dictatorship at worse.
Given this dismissal of working class self-activity, it is not surprising that Unabomber argues that "revolutionaries" should "promote social stress and instability in industrial society." After all, with the majority ignored until the "final push" (when they can help the new bosses "acquire political power" perhaps?) there is no real way to revolution. This, in turn, explains Green Anarchist's support for terrorism --- such acts do promote "social stress and instability" and so the revolution is promoted against the wishes the majority, who, let us not forget, "unthinking." Rather than an act of social revolt, the "revolution" will be the act of minorities who force the rest of society to be free (whether they subscribe to Unabomber's ideas of a free society or not). The parallels to Leninism are clear, with the "instability in industrial society" replacing the inevitable collapse of capitalism as the catalyst to the new society. Rather than being a subjective revolt for a free society, the Unabomber revolution is a reaction to objective events which force people to his utopia whether they want to go or not. And, therefore, Green Anarchist's support for terrorist acts -- they may claim to be anarchists, but their politics drive them towards authoritarianism and vanguardism. After all, someone who claims that they would prefer "mass starvation" to "mass government" (i.e. existing society) hardly counts as a libertarian, if by libertarian we think of someone who supports liberty rather than an ideology (these words were said by a member of Green Anarchist at a London Anarchist Forum meeting last year). That someone who claims to be an anarchist could say should a thing is a disgrace -- if liberty means millions starving to death, then is it surprising most people prefer government?
One last point. To state that "political anarchy has never existed outside of primitive societies" (as the interviewer of John Conner states) raises an interesting point. If primitive societies are the only viable form of anarchy (something that anarcho-primitives assert) then why are we living in a state-ridden, industrial capitalist system? If primitive societies are inherently anarchic, then how did archy develop in the first place? And what is there to stop the future primitive societies aimed at by anarcho-primitives going the same way?
Hopefully this letter will not be answered by the usual Green Anarchist tirade of insults they direct against people who disagree with them. Indeed, like Lenin they take a positive delight in insulting those who dare to question their politics. Perhaps by so doing they ensure that their politics are not looked into critically? After all, any one who does must be a "workerist" or "anarcho-leftist" or "anarcho-liberal" -- and if not celebrating the murder of children by bombs as the "right idea" makes you an "anarcho-leftist", then I would sooner be an "anarcho-leftist" than a cheer-leader for terrorists.
Keep up the good work with Anarchy. I always enjoy reading it.
yours in solidarity
Iain