Donnie Gebert is a former US Army Intelligence Sergeant, Ammunition Supply Specialist, Infantryman and US Navy Electronics Technician. He was medically discharged after 17 years of active service and lives with his three children in Texas. He is the author of “A Direct Republic: The Null Hypothesis of Politics: (How to automate a legislature)” and has appeared on The Bob Murphy Show, The Pete Raymond Podcast & The Future Tech Podcast; these podcasts elaborate more on the ideas of this interview.
How are you? What has the reception been like to the book? Do you feel like it has sparked a greater interest in personal liberty?
OK. Been 4yrs of looking for a job.
That kinda pushed me into this. The book is just getting some air time. 85% positive, 10% confused, 5% irrational belligerence. Overall, a good start.
“If you’re participating in a macro-movement that’s sinister you might not necessarily know it, so pay attention.”
To reach the goal of full decentralization do you think an emphasis on decentralizing local politics would be necessary first before any kid of disruptive technology or business could enter and fully takeover the monopoly legal system?
The decentralization process may never replace that system, should that other system not die from natural causes. Local is the easiest place to start, in an educated and informed population. That’s the barrier, at any scale. Local issues are harder on property issues, see Walter Block. Federal issues are almost purely fiscal and revolve around dollar hegemony. The federal issues that need coordination, and there are a few, are best serviced by siloing the issues and letting the participants pile in by their own preference.
Facebook’s Libra should give you a picture on how crypto actually damages governments and the shit’s on live tv. It’s not theoretical.
Speaking about the American system, most people who acknowledge the problems of our legal system but still have visions for ‘good government’ argue that either a more informed electorate is necessary and/or more proportionate representation (more representatives) is required in Congress to achieve it. Do you believe that with one or both of these we could have a ‘good government’ that is more beneficial than a direct republic?
Good is subjective, government needs definition. Government is organization by force. Is that good? By this definition, organization is the goal, not government. Most of the people looking for ‘good government’ will agree that force is bad. This allows these people to have their ideas of “good government.” It just places all the cost and ramifications of their own ideas in their own lap. Then, you and I may point, laugh, and discuss what’s good. 😂
“you’ve got to learn to say no to other human beings.”
Do you think there are any aspects of human nature that would get in the way of us adopting a direct republic? If so, do you think they can be overcome?
All of human nature prevents the idea of “good government”. I shifted human nature on the individual and made the process a de facto educational event. No one tells you how, let’s see how you do for yourself….
This forces peer-review to be the first step…..you may call it research. People have to pay for the laws/protections they have and know there’s nothing past what they pay for and/or are involved in.
If this idea is antithetical to the species, I may have inadvertently killed us all. Unlikely. 😁
What do you think is the easiest way to convince people to take whole responsibility on themselves? Do you think it can be done or do you think some kind of natural destruction would need to come first for the average person to really begin to see the immense value in it?
So, education is the cheapest bang-for-buck solution. You pay for the curriculum, copy and paste. That up front cost is where I sit. After that, It’s a free course. 3 stages, legal hygiene, legal self defense, legal judo. Hours, 2-4, 2-20, 20-200.
However, lets assume that in every zip code there’s a number of people, like you. They get it. They’d do it with support. They need to be aware but communities like this can be built very quickly.
It’s not me, it’s the idea. If someone gets this on Joe Rogan, it could fuck up the 2020 cycle. A viral “I want to be my own rep” campaign led by the “Make me the Last President of the US” candidate. Anyone with a microphone can ruin politics by educating people. That’s how fragile that paradigm is right now.
Reprinted with permission from Amped Magazine
