This week we lost one of the best bloggers and Libertarian activists not just in Britain, but in the world.
Anna Raccoon was a phenomenon. Possessed of tremendous skill, experience, kindness and persistence, all in equal measure, she was one of the true warriors of both the blogosphere and the Libertarian tradition.
She was silenced by a continual, unabating campaign of threats and intimidation. Read the sorry, sickening details here, at Grumpy's place, where she leaves her last words. For those of you who never read her material or followed her various campaigns (which helped real people in the real world, acting as an serendipitous angel to their often unknown plights), the Devil has her very last blog post copied here. This post shows her at her best, detailing one of her many interventions to help those vulnerable people on the receiving end of the most banally evil dead hand of the state and its mendacious agents, and its also an inspiring summary of just how and why we can make a difference.
I'm going to miss her presence so much. However, she was an absolute inspiration. As Oldrightie comments on her goodbye note - "Life is for living first, fighting oppression second." Quite. Where you led the way Anna, the rest of us will take up the charge into the breach and beat back the enemy.
Gildas wrote an eulogy for Anna here and I certainly couldn't better it. So my ode to Anna, and to those of us now duty bound to take up the slack and fight in her place, and in her honour is by means of this song:
Saturday, October 16, 2010
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7 comments:
A good tribute. I shall miss Anna too and she deserves to know how much support she had out here in the blogosphere.
I'm privielged to be able to syndicate a link to this across over 300 pages and with luck drive some traffic your way.
Much appreciated Ian.
Lets hope between us all we can fill that Anna shaped gap.
Excellent song. Anna stuck her head above the parapet. Her blog was a must read. A remarkable woman I am very sorry to see go.
I have to say this feels like the same thing happening all over again.
Yes
What a well-chosen song.
The Times yesterday says that Katharine Birbalsingh has already been approached by two Free Schools who would like to set up with her as their Headteacher.
Thanks WoR.
That is very good news. I'm still having difficulty understanding the immediate hostility to 'Free schools' in some quarters.
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