Who is Mark McCoy

My name is Mark McCoy. I am no one special; I am just a man. I published this site for me and me alone. I don’t know you. There was a time when I didn’t know myself. I have taken steps to remedy that deficiency. If you should find anything of value in my writings, then you are welcome to it. As I said, this site is for me. It is a catharsis. With these words I chronicle the healing and growing process which hopefully leads me to a place of peace and comfort before I leave this world. I am thankful for having time to begin this journey, or even to realize I must embark upon it. It is sad to think of some lives which were spent with the minds of the living bound in conforming to others.

I took some time to take an assessment of myself. Looking at the things I professed or accepted as knowledge, I examined the corresponding actions and who then benefitted. The frightening, and likewise enlightening, result of that assessment evinced a Mark McCoy in possession of a mind polluted with contrivances, platitudes, rhetoric, conformity, and fear. Little, of what I actually contributed to having experienced the world, was present and drawn upon in making decisions about myself. As an exercise, I began to refute and deny these presumptions, beginning with insignificant ones and applying this methodology to greater ones, even to the point of denying myself and God, or my Creator. When all was said and done, I was left surrounded with the rubble of prior beliefs at my feet. I could feel the assault on my senses from the outside world as I took what was formerly familiar experiences and information, and examined them down to the corpuscular or quantum level. What, exactly, am I doing here? I did not cease to exist or fall ill. My heart still beat and my lungs filled with air. Joy and sorrow manifested in physical responses which could be invoked with mere thought. I persist in spite of all which demanded my obedience to persist. What liberation!

I have spent the majority of my adult life between Illinois and Missouri, notwithstanding a few extended sojourns within the respective borders of this country’s other former republics, now federal municipalities. I have traveled and met many people from many lands. There are truly some wonderful souls around us. Americans are not superior. No nation is superior. I find that Americans are greatly loathed abroad. They are distrusted and suspect. A great deal of injustice and atrocities are assigned to Americans by those outside of America. After sharing some time and philosophy with people from other lands, I received the greatest of compliments, “I cannot believe you are from the United States.”  I believe that, in many ways, people in other countries, especially “under developed” ones, have a better grasp on how the world and life work. Having been fortunate enough to share a moment with children in one of the poorest places with no creature comforts, I met with innocence and love. It was a poignant experience to look into the eyes of those children and see how they perceive people, without agendas or motives. Likewise, it saddened me to think that their way of life was threatened by the “powers” of the world, primarily the United States, because such a lifestyle afforded little opportunity for exploitation and profit. One day, they will be courted by capitalists bearing gifts of progress and convenience in exchange for their abdication of nature, thereby putting more water on the smoldering ember that once sustained the fire of autonomous and sovereign people. I wanted to tell them of the impending assault and plead with them not to be seduced. They would not understand and if they did, why deny them what little time of innocent pleasure they still enjoy?

I’ve held many jobs. I never stopped educating myself and picking the mind of every brilliant person whose path I crossed. Of all the jobs I’ve had, I can honestly say that entrepreneurship was the most satisfying, although not the most profitable. I love law, philosophy, reading, and working to understand the human condition. I presently work in information technology (networking, web hosting, consulting…), legal research and private assistance of counsel (research legal matters, write briefs, brief cases, appear in court as legal counsel but not representative), as well as education and general study. I am certified in hypnotherapy. The mind is a marvelous thing. I prefer to think of myself as a personal trainer or collaborator for those who want to tap the resources of their subconscious. I don’t use persuasion, or even suggestion as most consider hypnosis to be, but rather a facilitator who takes the wishes of the client and frames self-talk in a way that cuts through the disinformation, confusion, fear, and conflicts we absorb in a myriad of ways, and presents then a clear and honest message back to the self.

My outside interests at this time include serving as the Illinois State Contact for the Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA.org), legal researcher (many caffeine-laden hours at St. Louis University Law Library), public speaking, private assistance of counsel, IT professional, not to mention consummate seditionist and bombastic iconoclast. I have assisted people with their appearances in court when facing mainly misdemeanor/traffic issues. I have had judges attempt to engage me when I was not a party to the case at bar, but personally and privately assisting the individual who requested my assistance in presenting themselves in court and preparing pleadings and motions. I’ve been threatened with contempt of court and jail for standing beside the individual requesting my assistance. I have never been fined, jailed, or suffered any other penalty as a result. The judges have backed down every time. All they have on their side is intimidation, deceit, threats, and unjust force. When challenged, they are left with either showing their tyranny for all to see, or retreating back to a position of hostile acquiescence.

If I am to assign a label to myself; one that is identifiable by the masses, albeit not understood, it would be that I am an Anarchist; where some would say I am also an Agorist or Voluntaryist. No, I do not promote destruction of property, capricious acts which result in harm to others. I am busy defining my own Anarchistic philosophy. The basic tenets of my philosophy are that there is no external authority superior to the individual. Each individual is in full control of doing what they please, even if such actions result in harm to themselves. There can be no external restraint or compulsion which acts in a way contrary to the conscience of the individual upon which it is exercised. For this condition to exist, several preconditions must be met. As with the absence of external authority, the Anarchist cannot advocate or exercise such force. The state of Anarchy must exist in an equitable state where being subject to no external authority also binds them to not exercise authority over others. Every individual is presumed to be in full possession of their natural rights by virtue of their Creator. Whether they aver to such a Creator is inconsequential, for the presumption acts only upon the penumbra of a higher authority which cannot be breached by the Anarchist. The beliefs of the Anarchist preclude him from acting contrarily against other individuals.

I have learned many things that contradict much of what I was taught. There seemed to be an underlying, pervasive theme that spoke to the People, the supposed supreme authority of power in governing themselves being somehow subjected to a proliferation of more and more rules, regulations, laws, inconvenience, authority…. and less and less freedom, rights, safety, security, and responsibility. I aim to remedy this juxtaposition of power and open the gates of information, knowledge, and accountability of government.

Personally, I hate politics. I abhor games, roles, personas… I have limited and valuable gray matter for devoting to issues more worthy of my faculties, rather than compartmentalizing any number of “identities” to accommodate others who prefer pomp over substance. I am not given to pretensions or facades. My beginnings are of that from a blue-collar, working-class, suburban, parochial/public school environment. I have always challenged, questioned, scrutinized and disobeyed.

I love my family. They are gifts from above, and I would lay my life down for any of them. My childhood was great. I know what it is like to play outside when the temperature is breaching 100 degrees without a “warning” to sequester indoors for fear of secreting perspiration. I mowed grass for my own money, played sports, had a dog that lived outside in a dog house, disobeyed my parents, spent a lot of time grounded in my room, and finished everything on my plate. I committed so many violations of law that if I were apprehended today I would spend the rest of my life in jail. What were the offenses, you ask? I rode most of my life without a seat-belt, rode in the back of a pickup truck, did not pay taxes on my snow shoveling or grass cutting money, rode my bike without a helmet, built tree houses in violation of zoning and building codes, took a sip of beer or wine when I had the chance, rode my dirt bike on the street with no license or plates….. I was a precocious scofflaw from the beginning. Thank goodness government has gotten wiser than years of living and now can dictate how to live.

In many respects, I didn’t grow up until later in life. I had no reason to. My whole life was laid down before me. The paths to success and security were well trodden by the millions of other suburban, middle-class, blue-collar kids before me. I knew what I was taught, and learned what I was told. It was all second-hand conventional wisdom and hearsay. Looking upon that path I saw dust, ruts, litter and graffiti etched into trees lining the way. I saw myself with the limited knowledge I had acquired from other generations who had long forgotten how to venture out in exploration of new paths. I yearned to be one of the daring who trod headlong into the briary thicket. The path was too obvious, convenient, and purposeful. I began to question, wonder and search.

I have always treated others with respect, unless circumstances demanded otherwise. Don’t act surprised. Once the security and dissemblance of childhood gives way to the pursuit of pecuniary acquisition we are as one with our material trappings. Such is the way of the world, I guess. It happened to me.

The point is, who makes the rules for all of this? Who is in control? From childhood, it is obvious that we are not. Our parents, teachers, and milk money seeking thugs in the lunch line are. We acquiesce to the presumption of authority. We are conditioned to accept the issuance of commands upon our actions. If one questions authority or refutes the presumption of external control then what happens when we act autonomously? Try it today and find out.

People are rebellious by nature. Likewise, they are equally compliant. Yet, rebellion and compliance are in relation to something, either an antagonist, or a provider. We, as a People, are compliant. What has not yet been provided for us by government is on the drawing boards of politicians today. Freedom is still around us. It oozes from select individuals, most often at times inconvenient for those in power. It is often vilified, processed through a controlled media, and snuffed out. There are many problems facing us today. Government is not the answer to them. People are the answer. People can work together without a government spontaneously generating around them, usurping all of their power and then taxing, regulating and incarcerating them into submission.

My biggest pet peeve is ignorance. I believe people are thirsty. Knowledge is the intoxicating nectar of awareness and power that calms the anxious, soothes the skeptic, and comforts the inquisitive. Instead, today, we are provided with bootleg, rot-gut, fermenting in government stills that numbs our wits and befuddles the senses. A friend of mine once cited a quote, I don’t know if it was his, but he disagreed that “knowledge is power”. He instead clarified that “applied knowledge is power”. Knowledge not put to use is as pointless as a library encased in concrete. I hope to share what I’ve learned. I hope others will question the status quo. I hope we get tired of the same old problems and work towards solutions, together, without government.

It has been said, that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I agree. Let’s stop the insanity. We still have freedom. We are just accustomed to trading it for the scraps off the government’s table. We must exercise our control over our own lives and stop regulating others. Be free to choose the briary thicket. Venture off the beaten path. Be free to find your own way, a better way. Get government off of your back so you are again morally mobile, unencumbered, and sovereign.

I owe nothing to anyone.  I owe no allegiance or duty to anything. I deny all which is not of my doing, or that which I do not voluntarily submit myself to be bound. My first allegiance is to myself. I am the most selfish person you could hope to meet. I am number one; and why not? Should we all not be number one? If you are not in this life for yourself, who then are you in if for? There is no shame in being you. Even when I am charitable or sacrificing I do it for me. Sure, other people benefit from my actions, but the impetus begins with me. If I lay down my life for another I do it because of me. I choose how to spend the capital of my existence, even if in the service of others, but it is a lie and disingenuous to think that I get nothing from that deed. There is no such thing as a selfless act. The point is, it is I who will choose to benefit from my efforts. My duty is not to obey the will of men sitting in a fantastical delusion of a legislature. The State is a phantom. I owe it nothing. These are fantasies created by men, imposed upon the unthinking or unknowing, and their machinations therewith used to exact obedience and wealth for their own purposes; many of which are wielded at home and abroad resulting in pain, suffering, and death. To hell with that system! I say NO to its demands. I care not about whatever argument is cast in retort about the benefits found amongst the ashes of violent deeds. The beneficial claim does not offset the chaos.

I feel that I have a purpose and a gift; everyone does. Knowing something, yet acting contrarily to that knowledge, to the detriment of others who are subjected to the perils of not having access to such knowledge, is a crime against humanity. I have made a solemn pledge to a much higher authority. I owe my awakening, as well as the impetus and ability to use it for good, to a higher authority. I am duty bound to help others. With what time may be available on this earth and with such facilities at-hand, I have chosen this venue with which to make my contribution. I will do my absolute best to treat everyone with fairness and honesty. I will respect the liberty and rights of others regardless how out of favor they may be with my particular sensibilities, morals, or ideals. I will be tolerant. I will honor my Creator, be bound by my word, be accountable for my actions, be compassionate, honest and respectful. I have set high standards for myself. I know I will fall short at times. I will never cease trying to be better than I am.