{"id":10040,"date":"2012-05-11T03:30:30","date_gmt":"2012-05-11T10:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/ClaireWolfe\/?p=10040"},"modified":"2012-05-11T03:30:30","modified_gmt":"2012-05-11T10:30:30","slug":"lift-up-your-fallen-comrade-or-kick-her-in-the-kidneys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/2012\/05\/11\/lift-up-your-fallen-comrade-or-kick-her-in-the-kidneys\/","title":{"rendered":"Lift up your fallen comrade or kick her in the kidneys?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“When the comrade beside you falls …”<\/a> <\/p>\n

When the comrade beside you is captured by the enemy, do you curse her name and write her out of the movement, or do you rescue her if possible and aid her and keep solidarity with her if that’s the best you can do?<\/p>\n

If the enemy extracts information from the fallen or captured comrade, at what point do you determine that that comrade is a traitor rather than a victim? …<\/p>\n

In my view, we need to accept that the state is at war with us — all of us, not just “movement people” — and recognize that when we write off an actual or potential comrade because he or she was brutalized to the point of (quite possibly temporary) surrender, we are by definition adding one person to the state’s ranks and removing one person from our own.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When I read that Tom Knapp piece in the abstract, it makes some very moving sense. I respect Tom Knapp. This isn’t meant to dis him; just to disagree.<\/p>\n

When I realize he’s writing about this young activist<\/a> and stunning hypocrite<\/a> who who turned three people into accused felons<\/a> to save her own backside, I say, “Go ahead. Kick her in the kidneys.” <\/p>\n

I don’t know erstwhile libertarian-anarchist Stacy Litz. <\/p>\n

She apparently sold drugs to a cop<\/a>. Seven times. Then became the cops’ agent. (That link is to another sympathetic account; many of the commenters on that article put it better.)<\/p>\n

After getting busted, Litz rolled over about as fast as an eye can blink<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two of the people she betrayed were fellow freedom activists.<\/p>\n

All three of her victims are reportedly being more steadfast and principled in facing their plight than she was.<\/p>\n

It appears that her real belief, beyond the freedomista rhetoric, is It’s perfectly okay for non-violent people to go to jail — as long as one of them isn’t me.<\/i> <\/p>\n

There’s no sign that she’s trying to undo any of the harm she caused. No sign of extenuating circumstances; she wasn’t waterboarded or threatened with death. She just betrayed her friends because it she thought it was better for them to suffer than for her to suffer.<\/p>\n

This is really the only part of Tom Knapp’s essay I can agree with:<\/p>\n

In my view, we need to accept that the state is at war with us …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s the indisputable truth. <\/p>\n

None of us is perfect and as Tom Knapp implies, we can’t know another person’s breaking point — or even our own.<\/p>\n

But how do you ever<\/i> rescue and keep solidarity with someone who betrays both her principles and her friends to benefit tyrants? (And then reportedly whines that everybody’s being unfair to her<\/i>) Why<\/i> would you even try? <\/p>\n

It’s not a matter of “adding one person to the state’s ranks and removing one person from our own.” She added herself to the state’s ranks — under pressure, granted. But she did it knowing she was doing unto others precisely what she didn’t want done to herself<\/i>. <\/p>\n

If you want her back in “our” ranks, you’re welcome to stand shoulder to shoulder with her. But don’t be surprised when she stabs you in the back.<\/p>\n

If somebody has facts that change this picture, by all means speak up. I almost hope I have to admit I’m wrong and am being unfair. <\/p>\n

Otherwise, place her name beside that of pseudo-anarchist Bob Black<\/a> and leave it there.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

UPDATE<\/b> Stacy left a comment on this post<\/a>. I responded that I would gladly blog a full statement from her without editing or editorial comment, or link to any statement she’s posted elsewhere. I’ll be very glad if she responds with further information — even gladder if her statement details how she’s planning to help her victims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“When the comrade beside you falls …” When the comrade beside you is captured by the enemy, do you curse her name and write her out of the movement, or do you rescue her if possible and aid her and keep solidarity with her if that’s the best you can do? If the enemy extracts information from the fallen or captured comrade, at what point do you determine that that comrade is a traitor rather than a victim? … In my view, we need to accept that the state is at war with us — all of us, not just…<\/p>\n

Continue readingLift up your fallen comrade or kick her in the kidneys?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resistance","category-war-on-some-drugs","ratio-natural","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10040\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clairewolfe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}