#decidingforourselves — Public Fediverse posts

This seems the perfect time to have my edited anthology “Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy” do double duty: as an inspiring counternarrative to the idea that the US presidential elections (aka fascism v fascism this year) and states in general are the only option, and as love and solidarity for two friends facing serious federal charges (aka state repression).

If you haven’t yet been following along (which I’d encourage you to do!), this case, as the @free.peppy.and.krystal Instagram page explains, “arose out of an April 18, 2023 demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh–sanctioned event promoting hatred toward transgender people and communities, featuring notorious transphobes Brad Polumbo and Michael Knowles on the question ‘Should transgenderism be regulated by law?’ The government alleges that in the protests outside the event, a ‘civil disorder’ occurred, when one commercially available firework and two homemade ‘smoke bombs’ were discharged. This ‘civil disorder’ forms the context in which Krystal and Peppy are charged.”

Peppy has been locked up pretrial for over a year now, while Krystal is out on pretrial conditions. Legal costs for both of them are enormous. Hence this fundraiser, both as material and emotional support. (Peppy and Krystal also both greatly appreciate letters! See their IG page or website.)

This edited anthology is filled with real-life stories of actually existing, relatively long-lived direct democracies across varied geographies—with no two alike. The contributions to this book show us that not only is self-governance possible; it is already happening. And within these beautiful yet messy experiments, people experience a “sense of freedom in the air”—of their own making, doing, and sustaining—as whole communities dispense with carceral logics, statist machinations, and virulent forms of “othering,” among other things, to make lives worth living for themselves.

Donate $15 to $25 (or more) to help Peppy and Krystal fight these charges, and I’ll gift you a copy of #DecidingForOurselves (with publisher @akpressdistro kindly paying for shipping within the US). Offer good while supplies last!

Email me at cbmilstein (at) yahoo to contribute! <3

#UntilAllAreFree
#BecomeSelfGovernable

freepeppyandkrystal.blackblogs.org

This seems the perfect time to have my edited anthology “Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy” do double duty: as an inspiring counternarrative to the idea that the US presidential elections (aka fascism v fascism this year) and states in general are the only option, and as love and solidarity for two friends facing serious federal charges (aka state repression).

If you haven’t yet been following along (which I’d encourage you to do!), this case, as the @free.peppy.and.krystal Instagram page explains, “arose out of an April 18, 2023 demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh–sanctioned event promoting hatred toward transgender people and communities, featuring notorious transphobes Brad Polumbo and Michael Knowles on the question ‘Should transgenderism be regulated by law?’ The government alleges that in the protests outside the event, a ‘civil disorder’ occurred, when one commercially available firework and two homemade ‘smoke bombs’ were discharged. This ‘civil disorder’ forms the context in which Krystal and Peppy are charged.”

Peppy has been locked up pretrial for over a year now, while Krystal is out on pretrial conditions. Legal costs for both of them are enormous. Hence this fundraiser, both as material and emotional support. (Peppy and Krystal also both greatly appreciate letters! See their IG page or website.)

This edited anthology is filled with real-life stories of actually existing, relatively long-lived direct democracies across varied geographies—with no two alike. The contributions to this book show us that not only is self-governance possible; it is already happening. And within these beautiful yet messy experiments, people experience a “sense of freedom in the air”—of their own making, doing, and sustaining—as whole communities dispense with carceral logics, statist machinations, and virulent forms of “othering,” among other things, to make lives worth living for themselves.

Donate $15 to $25 (or more) to help Peppy and Krystal fight these charges, and I’ll gift you a copy of #DecidingForOurselves (with publisher @akpressdistro kindly paying for shipping within the US). Offer good while supplies last!

Email me at cbmilstein (at) yahoo to contribute! <3

#UntilAllAreFree
#BecomeSelfGovernable

freepeppyandkrystal.blackblogs.org

This seems the perfect time to have my edited anthology “Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy” do double duty: as an inspiring counternarrative to the idea that the US presidential elections (aka fascism v fascism this year) and states in general are the only option, and as love and solidarity for two friends facing serious federal charges (aka state repression).

If you haven’t yet been following along (which I’d encourage you to do!), this case, as the @free.peppy.and.krystal Instagram page explains, “arose out of an April 18, 2023 demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh–sanctioned event promoting hatred toward transgender people and communities, featuring notorious transphobes Brad Polumbo and Michael Knowles on the question ‘Should transgenderism be regulated by law?’ The government alleges that in the protests outside the event, a ‘civil disorder’ occurred, when one commercially available firework and two homemade ‘smoke bombs’ were discharged. This ‘civil disorder’ forms the context in which Krystal and Peppy are charged.”

Peppy has been locked up pretrial for over a year now, while Krystal is out on pretrial conditions. Legal costs for both of them are enormous. Hence this fundraiser, both as material and emotional support. (Peppy and Krystal also both greatly appreciate letters! See their IG page or website.)

This edited anthology is filled with real-life stories of actually existing, relatively long-lived direct democracies across varied geographies—with no two alike. The contributions to this book show us that not only is self-governance possible; it is already happening. And within these beautiful yet messy experiments, people experience a “sense of freedom in the air”—of their own making, doing, and sustaining—as whole communities dispense with carceral logics, statist machinations, and virulent forms of “othering,” among other things, to make lives worth living for themselves.

Donate $15 to $25 (or more) to help Peppy and Krystal fight these charges, and I’ll gift you a copy of #DecidingForOurselves (with publisher @akpressdistro kindly paying for shipping within the US). Offer good while supplies last!

Email me at cbmilstein (at) yahoo to contribute! <3

#UntilAllAreFree
#BecomeSelfGovernable

freepeppyandkrystal.blackblogs.org

This seems the perfect time to have my edited anthology “Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy” do double duty: as an inspiring counternarrative to the idea that the US presidential elections (aka fascism v fascism this year) and states in general are the only option, and as love and solidarity for two friends facing serious federal charges (aka state repression).

If you haven’t yet been following along (which I’d encourage you to do!), this case, as the @free.peppy.and.krystal Instagram page explains, “arose out of an April 18, 2023 demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh–sanctioned event promoting hatred toward transgender people and communities, featuring notorious transphobes Brad Polumbo and Michael Knowles on the question ‘Should transgenderism be regulated by law?’ The government alleges that in the protests outside the event, a ‘civil disorder’ occurred, when one commercially available firework and two homemade ‘smoke bombs’ were discharged. This ‘civil disorder’ forms the context in which Krystal and Peppy are charged.”

Peppy has been locked up pretrial for over a year now, while Krystal is out on pretrial conditions. Legal costs for both of them are enormous. Hence this fundraiser, both as material and emotional support. (Peppy and Krystal also both greatly appreciate letters! See their IG page or website.)

This edited anthology is filled with real-life stories of actually existing, relatively long-lived direct democracies across varied geographies—with no two alike. The contributions to this book show us that not only is self-governance possible; it is already happening. And within these beautiful yet messy experiments, people experience a “sense of freedom in the air”—of their own making, doing, and sustaining—as whole communities dispense with carceral logics, statist machinations, and virulent forms of “othering,” among other things, to make lives worth living for themselves.

Donate $15 to $25 (or more) to help Peppy and Krystal fight these charges, and I’ll gift you a copy of #DecidingForOurselves (with publisher @akpressdistro kindly paying for shipping within the US). Offer good while supplies last!

Email me at cbmilstein (at) yahoo to contribute! <3

#UntilAllAreFree
#BecomeSelfGovernable

freepeppyandkrystal.blackblogs.org

This seems the perfect time to have my edited anthology “Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy” do double duty: as an inspiring counternarrative to the idea that the US presidential elections (aka fascism v fascism this year) and states in general are the only option, and as love and solidarity for two friends facing serious federal charges (aka state repression).

If you haven’t yet been following along (which I’d encourage you to do!), this case, as the @free.peppy.and.krystal Instagram page explains, “arose out of an April 18, 2023 demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh–sanctioned event promoting hatred toward transgender people and communities, featuring notorious transphobes Brad Polumbo and Michael Knowles on the question ‘Should transgenderism be regulated by law?’ The government alleges that in the protests outside the event, a ‘civil disorder’ occurred, when one commercially available firework and two homemade ‘smoke bombs’ were discharged. This ‘civil disorder’ forms the context in which Krystal and Peppy are charged.”

Peppy has been locked up pretrial for over a year now, while Krystal is out on pretrial conditions. Legal costs for both of them are enormous. Hence this fundraiser, both as material and emotional support. (Peppy and Krystal also both greatly appreciate letters! See their IG page or website.)

This edited anthology is filled with real-life stories of actually existing, relatively long-lived direct democracies across varied geographies—with no two alike. The contributions to this book show us that not only is self-governance possible; it is already happening. And within these beautiful yet messy experiments, people experience a “sense of freedom in the air”—of their own making, doing, and sustaining—as whole communities dispense with carceral logics, statist machinations, and virulent forms of “othering,” among other things, to make lives worth living for themselves.

Donate $15 to $25 (or more) to help Peppy and Krystal fight these charges, and I’ll gift you a copy of #DecidingForOurselves (with publisher @akpressdistro kindly paying for shipping within the US). Offer good while supplies last!

Email me at cbmilstein (at) yahoo to contribute! <3

#UntilAllAreFree
#BecomeSelfGovernable

freepeppyandkrystal.blackblogs.org

Toward the fall of states and nationalism, here’s an autumn offering from me to you: $10 (plus $4 media mail shipping) for a copy of my edited anthology “Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy” (published by @akpressdistro, with striking design by @eff_charm).

I’ve limited “extra” copies after some recent travels+talks and would so love to put one in your hands, or the hands of a friend or social center, if you want to gift a copy.

If you need/want to be reminded that not only is another world possible but it’s already here in various self-governing places, this book will inspire! It also offers tangible other real-life pathways besides states (and fascism).

Here’s a short description of the collection, which looks at long-lived autonomous communities, followed by one blurb:

In a time of social and ecological crises, people everywhere are looking for solutions. States and capitalism, rather than providing them, only make matters worse. There’s a growing sense that we’ll have to fix this mess on our own. But how? “Deciding for Ourselves,” in the spirit of the Zapatistas, demonstrates that “the impossible is possible.”

A better world through self-determination and self-governance is not only achievable. It is already happening in urban and rural communities around the world—from Mexico to Rojava, Denmark to Greece, an Indigenous community to ecological and feminist spaces—as an implicit or explicit replacement for nations, police, and other forms of hierarchical social control.

This anthology explores this “sense of freedom in the air,” as one piece puts it, by looking at contemporary examples of autonomous, directly democratic spaces and the real-world dilemmas they experience, all the while underscoring the egalitarian ways of life that are collectively generated in them.

“The perfect book for our times. Each essay traces the possibilities (and even offers up some road maps) for how to survive our current situation with dignity and autonomy.”

—carla bergman, coauthor of “Joyful Militancy”

For a copy, DM or email me (cbmilstein at yahoo).

p.s. I’m honored to do book-related talks+conversations; DM or email me.

#DecidingForOurselves
#PromiseOfDirectDemocracy
#ToAnAutumnOfAnarchism

(photo: book nestled on a bed of grass and leaves on stolen Anishinaabeg lands)