Name: Under No Pretext 2.25" pinback button
SKU: OG0009
Price: 3.03 USD
Availability: InStock

Under No Pretext

$3.03

Bulk pricing available for quantities of 5 units or more

2.25" Pin-Back Button

In stock: 10 available

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Allowed purchase quantity: from 1 to 10 items

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Quantity	Price per item	Discount
5 items	$2.63	13% off

Product Details

We Americans talk about the Second Amendment a lot; I, however, prefer the socialist mantra, "Under No Pretext." The full quote, "Under no pretext should arms & ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary," (expect to see many different translations) -Karl Marx. I am a firm supporter of weapon ownership for philosophical & practical reasons; that said, I pivot again to science & rationality to point out a mishmash of state & federal laws -they are heaps of senselessness. As a bladesmith, I think it's hilarious that, categorically, certain knives & knuckle dusters face stricter bans than firearms. It's a travesty that bulletproof vests cost so much & are outnumbered by guns. If you can safely handle firearms, I recommend acquiring several for different use cases along with the appropriate ammo, tools, reloading equipment, spare parts, sights, locks, relevant permits, armor, & a sufficient fireproof safe for storage.

A general note on Marx while it is appropriate: I have read the Communist Manifesto & Das Kapital (the latter I found to be fascinating but hardly contentious) & have to say that century-old hypotheses' aren't road maps & no, they are not completed by Lenin's lip service or Stalin's drivel (Grade-A dictator & scum bag who also was a mind-numbingly atrocious writer). When learning that his readers called themselves Marxists, Marx remarked, "If anything is certain, it is that I myself am not a Marxist.." Marx offered analysis & critical thinking, both of which can be inspiring, but even he knew he wasn't inventing a new dogma.

You are ordering a 2.25" metal button with a sharp pin back; pin with caution. I assemble these piece by piece by hand, so there may be some variations in alignment of the design & orientation pin. Our quality control process vets every pin's wearability before shipping. If you have any problems with your order, contact us & we will remedy the situation.

Every order comes in recycled/upcycled packaging & may include one or more freebies depending on order size.

Please use a real name (or convincing enough that USPS will deliver) & double-check your address before placing an order; I cannot re-ship an order if my records show it was delivered to the address included with payment. If you observe a potential error in your shipping information, please email me immediately so we can catch it before it ships out.

Ten percent of profits are donated to a rotating portfolio of non-profits & charities; this month, they are Conservation International Foundation 75%, City Harvest 20%, & Crimethinc 5%.

Hundreds of hours have gone into just my art, not to mention the refreshing & reformatting of vintage propaganda, the production of buttons, the assembly of swag packs, & creating a means of distribution. Still, I suspect you & I would feel better if a profit incentive were replaced with goodwill spreading from good intentions. I choose these groups from suggestions & research & to be frank, any remaining profit I come into in my life will go towards scientific & creative research benefitting comrades - science & doing good are what brings me joy. So please, use these buttons as intended as conversation starters & tools of connection.

When learning to create the clothes I could not afford/buy at all, I learned many skills, including stencil making. Of my original designs, they are all either single or multi-color stencils. Interestingly, I learned I wasn't the only person who liked my art. I've been offered as much as $300 dollars for one of my vests & when I printed my art & stencils on buttons for YDSA recruitment, it caused a run on the market for college printing. Here I put my art & reformatted propaganda of bygone eras onto buttons for you to enjoy. I found buttons, in particular, made good conversation starters. While I'm a punk who isn't averse to patches with four-inch lettering, more people & garments can sport buttons.

Warning: the buttons really are conversation starters!

While I was the president of the YDSA at my college, I agreed with very little of their platforms. I am wholly committed to science & presently, those willing to talk about the various socialist tendencies are also those most inclined to consider alternative theories & evidence contrary to any political dogma, including their own. It is that dialogue that I value; however, publicly, I will say that Capitalism is materially unsustainable & I see many viable alternative ways of life that are realistic within our lifetimes & sparing the ones that would make great action movies; many are leaning toward the umbrella of Socialism.

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