Sean won an Anarchist News award!

We are increasingly doing a good job at supporting self identified anarchist prisoners. Action in the street means bodies and jails and part of the reason why our energy is low after Occupy in 2011 is because of how many of our people either suffered at the tender mercies of the state or had to bail out others who were. But all of these were short timers.

A stalwart anarchist prisoner is one who continues the fight on the inside. This may not look Berkman’s prison journals or Daniel McGowan taking heat for having an opinion but it will probably look like being a big inconvenience to the bureaucracy of the establishment that you inhabit and looking good while doing it.

While we have an increasing number of long-term anarchist prisoners entering the system including the depressing a terrifying case in Cleveland Four who will probably remain inside for the rest of their natural lives there stay is just beginning. Sean Swain on the other hand, was the winner of our award for most stalwart prisoner and already been inside for 20 years. He is associated with the prison group the Army of the 12 monkeys [editor’s note- Sean denies any involvement with A12M, @news (the original authors of this piece) only associates him with them because the ODRC has (erroneously) convicted him of infractions relating to A12M]  and is running for governor of Ohio in 2014 as an anarchist.

Here is his platform

What is an anarchist engagement? I ask because I’m running for Ohio Governor in 2014 as a write in candidate from Ohio’s super-duper-uber-mega ultramax facility.

Yeah, I know.Your thinking, ‘Running for office is not anarchist-it’s reformist at best’ and thinking ‘A prisoner getting elected?’ And you likely conclude, this is all just further evidence-as if we need more-that Sean Swain is a wing nut. I would say that this is further proof that I’m brilliant and completely misunderstood- thats my story and I’m sticking to it.

I’ve been told that by running for Governor, I’m promoting the idea that reformist ballots are the answer-registering to vote, voting and all the hierarchical implications that that entails. I’ve been told that we need revolution, not diversions into electoral wheel-spinning,and that I’m doing a disservice promoting the idea that elections can be a solution.

Okay, now consider:

It’s not my goal to become Ohio Governor so that I can maintain the state. I’m openly and admittedly an anarchist and I’M running as an anarchist. I’m promising that, if elected I would tear down the state and establish the Ohio Autonomous Zone.

In fact, I have a program already planned out. It’s on my website. My first day in office, I would empty Ohio’s prisons. I would de-commission the National Guard and I would give the weapons to the Native American tribes I would be inviting back.

According to the Treaty of Greenville, they still own this territory. So it’s not exactly reparations for the genocide they experienced, but I’D give them the land back and a bunch of rifles and tanks and Apache attack helicopters in order to defend it.

With no budget signed-ever- no cops would get paid so there woulds be nobody standing between us chasing the banksters and crapitalists out of here with torches and pitchforks-like they have deserved for centuries.We could then export revolution from the Ohio Autonomous Zone.

Thats my plan. And to get elected, I propose that Anarchists and malcontents from all over the country converge on Ohio, squat here, establish residency, register to vote, and get me elected. By my math, if just a million people migrate to Ohio and vote for me, I’d win the election and implement my plan.
To me, that’s clearly an anarchist outcome-destruction of the State, elimination of the system of crapital self-rule. But fellow anarchists tell me this is not an anarchist engagement because the means of achieving the end (voting) are “reformist.”

So…it’s only revolutionary if you wear a ski mask while you do it? In other words, the revolutionary outcome is irrelevant; what matters is if you can look cool while doing it …and if you have to impersonate reformists in order to accomplish your goal, in order to infiltrate and topple the hierarchy, then it is better to instead sit around watching riot porn while the system grinds on and on? Does that sound right?

With what I propose, I’m not asking you to embrace electoral politics or recognize the legitimacy of the state. Elections and the State are bullshit. I’m asking you to recognize a glitch permanent joyride. I’m not asking you to install me in office. I’m asking you to load me into the chamber and fire me into the brain pan of the state.

Question: do the “ends” justify the “means,”does an engagement that leads to an anarchist outcome makes that engagement anarchist even if it would otherwise be seen as reformist? I say, Fuck,yes. And it’s a stupid question! If toppling the State required me to stand in toilet water firing Roman candles out of my ass and playing the Star Spangled Banner through a Kazoo, I would happily do it. If it means posing as a deluded hierarch and pulling a lever on an election machine I would do that too.

It’s not the tactics that make it anarchist. It’s the end result. I’m Sean Swain, anarchist prisoner and candidate for Ohio Governor in 2014 from Ohio supermax facility and I approve this message.