Bretigne Shaffer's Truth and Fiction

Fiction and commentary about the beauty of civilization and the evils of the coercive state
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  • Bretigne Shaffer

Why Berkeley Sucks Apr 17, 2014

First of all, understand that I am the poster child for pedestrians. If pedestrians had posters, my face would be all over them. I went to high school in Los Angeles and didn’t learn to drive until I was 31 — and then only reluctantly, and only well enough to pass my test, snatch my license from the clammy hands of the DMV attendant, and promptly drive my parents’ seaworthy GM into a small bottlebrush tree. (I still dispute that the tree was entirely blameless, but that’s a different topic.) So it is with no sense of antipathy towards pedestrians that I...

By Bretigne Shaffer Vote0 0

Porco Rosso: Anarcho-Capitalist Pig? Apr 16, 2014

"This motion picture is set over the Mediterranean Sea in an age when seaplanes ruled the waves. It tells the story of a valiant pig, who fought against flying pirates, for his pride, for his lover, and for his fortune. The name of the hero of our story is Crimson Pig." Like more and more families these days, ours does not have TV. We do watch movies, and even TV shows that we get from Netflix, but these are mostly for my husband and myself. We don’t want our 22-month-old son to spend his childhood in passive receptivity of all...

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A Non-Voter’s Thoughts on Ron Paul Apr 16, 2014

  As long as it’s just George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft who are evil – a "bad batch" – then you don’t have to kick the habit entirely. Just make sure you get a good batch next time – elect "good" politicians – and you’ll never have to question the political system to which you have become attached. ~ Me, three years ago: "Kick the Habit: Politics Is Not the Answer" I can’t believe the things that have been coming out of my mouth these past few months. If anyone had told me a year ago...

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Kick the Habit: Politics Is Not the Answer Apr 16, 2014

What began as amusement with the "Beat Bush" people who man the streets around Astor Place, urging pedestrians to help defeat W in the coming election, had turned to irritation. I no longer stopped to remind them that John Kerry – the man they believed would make everything better – had supported the USA PATRIOT Act and the invasion of Iraq, or that the two candidates were members of the same secret society. Instead, I would just walk past them, silently bemoaning the fact that so much well-intentioned energy was being thrown so fervently into such a futile pursuit. Then...

By Bretigne Shaffer Vote4 0

Urban Yogini: Episode 1 Apr 15, 2014

Mild-mannered Kyra transforms into the Urban Yogini when she witnesses police brutalizing an innocent man. Follow her adventures as she fights state violence and abuse and tries to evade capture!

By Bretigne Shaffer Vote6 0

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