Burning Comet | Main Page

Preface

Capitalism has eaten itself again, and in rotates again fascism as is its ouroboric nature. The liberal order, finally free of its stagnation, has collapsed into what it has long been groomed to be. There is a sense we are living in a collapse: the collapse of the environment, the collapse of the government, and the collapse of hope. With the election of Donald Trump, it has been made decisively clear that we can no longer delay in organizing amongst ourselves to weather this coming storm. The long looming poltergeist of fascism dwells now emboldened in the heart of our society, and unexorcised will consume both our planet and species in entirety as its floundering lifeblood if only to keep capitalism and profit accumulating for but a moment longer. Fascism has shown its hand to us in advance with the blood-paved history and harsh lessons of the 20th century, and we dare not allow it to be repeated. The cruel ironfisted hand of fascism indeed reveals a deep insecurity on the part of the bourgeoisie and their weakened blunt instrument the state. These are revolutionary times. They fear as we know that the shadow descending over our world will not be here to stay. This is the era we exist in, and this is the context in which this platform has been written. It is in precisely these times it is more important than ever to realize the strength in solidarity and the resilience of hope, as tyranny thrives in its lack and grows weak in its light. We establish here the Popular Association of Maricopa in the spirit of hope for the future.

Our Ideals & Points of Unity

Our Ideals

Our objective is the establishment of communism: a stateless, classless, moneyless society in which workers own the means of production and resources are distributed from each according to their ability to each according to their needs and as such, the very concepts of work and production will be transformed.

We are ruthlessly opposed to capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, and all other forms of domination. We express no tolerance for bigotry and oppression in any form.

We believe institutional methods such as electoralism are unable to bring about the necessary changes required for the advancement of equality and human freedom, and as such we are committed to revolution over reform. We oppose both the state and bourgeois political parties, including socialist and communist parties that seek to engage in electoral politics and both dilute the power of and dictate the freedom of the working class. Our goals lie through the pursuit of revolution, by the means of direct action, mutual aid, construction of alternative structures, propaganda, and education.

We stand in solidarity with all oppressed peoples of the world, and advocate global revolutionary struggle against capitalism and the state.

We oppose the continued destruction of the environment and seek peace with nature through radical commitment to sustainable ecology and a recoupling of humanity with nature through independence from corporate infrastructure.

We firmly stand for the principles of complete and free autonomy of the body and mind, and oppose its violation and abuse in all forms. We maintain the right to free association in all matters.

Our power comes not from a top-down authority or hierarchy but from the bottom, where it belongs. Our association is to be decentralized and directly democratic on all levels, striving to reach all decisions when possible through noncoercive consensus.

We believe in the free spread and distribution of ideas and knowledge without borders and censorship. Suppression by religious, corporate, or state means will be relentlessly opposed in all forms.

We vow to continue to preserve communally this organization, the people within it, and its ideals.

Points of Unity

This platform is representative of the ideals of the association, and has been agreed to by all members of it as a requirement for membership. Should a consensus of members or simple majority no longer feel this platform represents the views of the collective, it should either be abolished or rewritten with the process of modified consensus as described in Section 2. This platform lays out the skeleton of the ideals that members must be fully committed to for admission into the group, and is not exhaustive. Differing views are not only encouraged but expected, and this platform offers only a shared basis for association to ensure a base level of commitment to shared ideals and trust among members. The final prerequisite for entry of a prospective member of the association is solely two other member’s ability to vouch for your credibility, character, and trustworthiness. Associate will be the only position within the group, and we will have no leader. Should an associate no longer live up to these ideals at any time, they may be asked to leave or be forcibly dismissed by majority vote after being given ample opportunity to defend themselves.
Decisions in this association will be made through the process of modified consensus involving the entire organization that chooses to participate, defined as the following.
When deliberating upon an issue or decision, all members that wish to do so should be given the chance to speak their piece on the matter. All concerns should be raised and addressed. After a vigorous and full discussion on the matter is had, the association should move towards working on the implementation or decision regarding the matter discussed. A consensus should be called for by the facilitator described in Section 3, at which point any remaining concerns should be addressed in full. If a consensus is reached, then the resolution or motion passes. With a consensus concerning the entire association, a quorum of ⅔ or greater associates of the organization is required to successfully pass a motion. If not, and if at this point any standing reservations can not be resolved in discussion, there are three further options. The first is for the conflicting member or members to agree with reservations, allowing the motion to pass with the reserving participant’s consent and participation towards implementation of the proposal. The second is to stand aside, allowing the motion to proceed with the caveat that the participant standing aside will not work towards the implementation of the proposal. The third and final option when a consensus can not be reached is to block, completely stopping the proposal in its tracks and failing the group’s effort to reach consensus. Declaring a block is a matter that should only be taken when there is a basis or case that the consensus violates the principles of the group or would cause the dissenting associate to leave the association. This action should not be taken lightly, and should only be declared when it is impossible to resolve the issues of a proposal. Rather than blocking, a participant may instead call for a majority vote on the matter. A consensus decision may only be necessary with decisions that include the entire association and in some cases a majority vote or simply moving towards direct implementation of a proposal may instead be appropriate. Once the consensus is final, it can not be changed without reaching another consensus, and failing to do so, the previous consensus stands.
For every meeting of the association, there will be a moderator or facilitator of the assembly decided by random raffle. The winner of this raffle may elect not to take on this role and abdicate their speakership, upon which time another raffle will be held. The facilitator’s role is to encourage a smooth and topical flow of discussion, ensure all voices are being heard and properly respected, and to cover the meeting’s agenda. The agenda for each meeting will be generated and submitted beforehand by members of the association for discussion, although time should also be left aside for unplanned topics not on the agenda. The speaker should also select a secretary for the purpose of keeping notes on and later delivering the contents and summary therein to any absent members. If at any time the speaker is not fulfilling their roles or duties, they can be dismissed as the speaker for the session with a simple majority vote or agreement through modified consensus, at which time another lottery will be held.
For the purposes of communication within the group, a disciplined culture of secrecy should be maintained. Matters concerning the association should be kept strictly private, and whenever possible sensitive information should be kept on a need-to-know basis. All online communication should be performed using encrypted or discrete methods whenever possible. Meetings should be conducted in secure locations. If so requested by a member or speaker, meetings should begin with a verification of what associates have or can vouch for each member’s presence, and if no other members present are able or willing to vouch for the member in question they should be dismissed from the meeting until they can be vouched for. Despite this culture of secrecy, mutual trust should still be the core foundation on which the group is laid and should not give way to paranoia. This culture exists solely to maintain the security and integrity of the group. We must uphold an intimacy and camaraderie between associates so we may form an unbreakable bond as one working body. If we fail to accomplish this, our very struggle is for naught.
For the purposes of communication either with other organizations or the public, a delegate should be chosen either through modified consensus or majority vote of the association. The delegate solely represents the organization and the views that have been communicated to them for the purpose they were made a delegate. Upon completion of this purpose they are immediately dismissed. Delegates who fail to uphold their purpose or represent the views of the association may be immediately recalled at any time by majority vote. Delegates have no power otherwise, they are solely temporarily enabled speakers of the association’s collective will.

Burning Comet Association

Short description

Preface

Our Ideals & Points of Unity

Our Ideals

Points of Unity

Recommended Reading