We’ve written about the Agent Provocateur many times – including HERE. Anarchists – they’re coming after you. Three self-proclaimed anarchists - Jared Chase, Brent Betterly, and Brian Church – have been arrested for attempting to create bombs and generally – create havoc. Now they have been made famous and have to post bonds of $1.5 million in order to get out of jail. Maybe they’re guilty; maybe they’re not. I don’t know.
To be very clear – you really don’t know if this is a real story or not. This could just be a way to give police the moral authority within the eyes of the populace to clamp down on civil liberties (it has happened before many times). This could just be a way to pre-emptively put the “Black Bloc” on the defensive.
But this incident brings me back to the topic of anarchism. There are many strains of anarchism – not all are violent. Some anarchists just want to create a co-op and actively disengage from the system to the best of their abilities. These communal, agrarian tendencies are very much what our country was founded on in many ways. It’s important that people understand – being an anarchist is not a monolithic idea; it means different things to different people.
But for those anarchists who espouse this idea that somehow overthrowing the state is the optimal solution.Voting is contrary to that anarchist’s ideological viewpoint. But it’s put up or shut up time. You either want to overthrow the government or you don’t, and you can’t overthrow the government through peaceful means. For those anarchists wishing for the overthrow of government – the only option is violence and anarchy.
So…be aware…the authorities will be undercover; people will not always be who they seem. Be aware that the authorities will be the first to say they know how to get some great bomb making equipment. Be aware that they will try to entrap you and make their plan – your plan. But – if you’re an anarchist set to overthrow the government through any other means than VOTING them out….you deserve the consequences if you’re stupid enough to go along with it.
Of course – this could just be a warning shot to keep anarchists on their toes; it could be just a way to make anarchists paranoid. These kids could have done literally none of what they were accused of doing. But – this should be a constant reminder that you are probably right to be paranoid if you advocate for the overthrow of the U.S. government. If you want to stand together and rise up against the man…good for you. If you want to move to Idaho and live off the land with 50 other people – AWESOME. But if you believe the only solution to your problems is through anarchy and violence….you deserve what you get.
The NY Times explains – article HERE:
But lawyers for the defendants said that it was a case of entrapment, and that a man and a woman who were either informants or undercover law enforcement officials had come up with the plans and provided the materials for explosives.
New York Magazine adds some context – article HERE:
Deutsch also called the situation ”propaganda to create a climate of fear” among protesters (and potential protesters.) Bill Vassilakis, an activist who was hosting the trio, told Politico he agreed with that characterization. He described one of the men, Brent Betterly, as “the most stand-up guy that was staying with me. He and the other guys had done nothing but volunteer their time and energy.” Apparently, the 24-year-old does have a history of minor run-ins with the law, having been charged with disorderly intoxication, burglary, theft, and criminal mischief after doing $2000 in damage to a Florida high school. Another, Jared Chase, was described by his aunt as, among other things, “not dumb,” which is why she says she was surprised to hear about the charges: “He always seemed harmless, but who knows?”
