Libertarianism is a platform philosophy from which people usually depart to either libertinism like the Randians or off to anarchy, like, well, anarchists. Each anarchist is sui generis. The common thread in Libertarianism is the non-aggression principal: do not initiate force or fraud.
As I explain freedom to people, often their ultimate objection is "In anarchy, who is the cop?" To which I answer, "You are." When everyone sets their own rules, there cannot be "a" cop, everyone else must be the "cop."
The bible speaks of a time when "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 17 v 6
This is not a complaint, just a statement of the milieu that our hero, Micah, is operating.
This is not to be confused with the passage in which Israel is instructed in relation to sacrifices that they must work together for a common goal: 8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9 for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you.
A child "knows" lying is wrong, because it does damage, not because anyone says so. People say so to remind us of the damage. Force and fraud to compel others against their will is wrong. We know that without law. The cop against force and fraud in those times of anarchy was everyone else upon whom each depends. Do wrong, and the pitch-perfect sanction is delivered by the community at large.
After the debacle in Egypt, God leads Israel out of captivity and gives the Israelites the Ten Commandments, a simple restatement of natural law. Still no king.
But soon enough, Israel rejects God as their leader and demands a mere king. The famous (to me anyway) exchange ends with
18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. ”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
The keen reader will note, that since God will not do evil, he does not give Israel a king. He lets Samuel do it.
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
So who is the cop when force and fraud turn violent, such as when a disgruntled employee shoots a co-worker in the head at the empire state building? Or in a movie theatre in Colorado? Or at a Summer camp in Norway?
We all are. In New York, a construction worker who witnessed the killing had to run and get a city policemen, who turned a killing into mayhem. The video shows as the killer turns toward the police brandishing his weapon, officer A getting in the way of officer B, making for a harrowing situation for both officers. Finally officer B moves away (confronting a gunman the first thing you do is spread out) from officer A and gets off the fatal shot, while officer A fires wildly into a crowd of pedestrians. Back to the training center for you, officer A.
This is not to criticize the police, I personally am never armed for one reason because I would probably shoot myself if not others in a gun battle. My chances, and everyone else's, are far better if I am not armed. I only mean to say, if armed, be trained. Really well trained. Because the video is pretty much what a gun battle looks like.
Having said that, there are enough people who are excellent "officer B" grade pistoleros who if allowed to be armed would keep the rest of us safe, no city police needed. Studies show when private individuals intervene in gunplay it ends faster with fewer casualties than when the police end it. Sounds reasonable.
The Empire State video also shows the murderer not firing in spite of plenty of time to do so while the two officers danced around each other. It looks from the video like "suicide by cop." Such focussed shooters stop when their mission is complete, such as Chapman who shot Lennon was disarmed by a doorman.
An anarchists objection to the State is it keeps evil people, who would be killed, safe from the society that would punish it. Rapists and murders are kept alive in the criminal justice system, apparently only to keep the criminal justice system alive. Why, just think of all the criminals out there if we had no cops, judges and jails. Well, think of all the criminals there would NOT be if we had no cops, judges and jails. If we were all the "cops."
Now this is scary, Hatfield and McCoy, Afghani and Italian blood feud makings, to be sure. But that is the stuff of legend, and nothing compared to the injustice of the system we have now.
I am not advocating anything we do not do right now. The Colorado shooter is being kept out of the general prison population for the simple reason he would be dead very quickly, the inmates have said so. Cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer was dead within hours of being let into the general population.
Since anarchy is the only practical, rational system, I never advocate anything that is not already the case in the majority of circumstances.
So now I look with interest to Norway. The fellow who murdered some 70 campers and gave a power salute at his sentencing, was given 21 years total, minimum 10 if he behaves himself in prison. Let's see how long he lasts? Will another murderer in year one of a 21 year sentence ice him? If so, why do we need the state?
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
As I explain freedom to people, often their ultimate objection is "In anarchy, who is the cop?" To which I answer, "You are." When everyone sets their own rules, there cannot be "a" cop, everyone else must be the "cop."
The bible speaks of a time when "In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 17 v 6
This is not a complaint, just a statement of the milieu that our hero, Micah, is operating.
This is not to be confused with the passage in which Israel is instructed in relation to sacrifices that they must work together for a common goal: 8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9 for you have not as yet come to the resting place and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you.
After the debacle in Egypt, God leads Israel out of captivity and gives the Israelites the Ten Commandments, a simple restatement of natural law. Still no king.
But soon enough, Israel rejects God as their leader and demands a mere king. The famous (to me anyway) exchange ends with
18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. ”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
The keen reader will note, that since God will not do evil, he does not give Israel a king. He lets Samuel do it.
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
So who is the cop when force and fraud turn violent, such as when a disgruntled employee shoots a co-worker in the head at the empire state building? Or in a movie theatre in Colorado? Or at a Summer camp in Norway?
We all are. In New York, a construction worker who witnessed the killing had to run and get a city policemen, who turned a killing into mayhem. The video shows as the killer turns toward the police brandishing his weapon, officer A getting in the way of officer B, making for a harrowing situation for both officers. Finally officer B moves away (confronting a gunman the first thing you do is spread out) from officer A and gets off the fatal shot, while officer A fires wildly into a crowd of pedestrians. Back to the training center for you, officer A.
This is not to criticize the police, I personally am never armed for one reason because I would probably shoot myself if not others in a gun battle. My chances, and everyone else's, are far better if I am not armed. I only mean to say, if armed, be trained. Really well trained. Because the video is pretty much what a gun battle looks like.
Having said that, there are enough people who are excellent "officer B" grade pistoleros who if allowed to be armed would keep the rest of us safe, no city police needed. Studies show when private individuals intervene in gunplay it ends faster with fewer casualties than when the police end it. Sounds reasonable.
The Empire State video also shows the murderer not firing in spite of plenty of time to do so while the two officers danced around each other. It looks from the video like "suicide by cop." Such focussed shooters stop when their mission is complete, such as Chapman who shot Lennon was disarmed by a doorman.
An anarchists objection to the State is it keeps evil people, who would be killed, safe from the society that would punish it. Rapists and murders are kept alive in the criminal justice system, apparently only to keep the criminal justice system alive. Why, just think of all the criminals out there if we had no cops, judges and jails. Well, think of all the criminals there would NOT be if we had no cops, judges and jails. If we were all the "cops."
Now this is scary, Hatfield and McCoy, Afghani and Italian blood feud makings, to be sure. But that is the stuff of legend, and nothing compared to the injustice of the system we have now.
I am not advocating anything we do not do right now. The Colorado shooter is being kept out of the general prison population for the simple reason he would be dead very quickly, the inmates have said so. Cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer was dead within hours of being let into the general population.
Since anarchy is the only practical, rational system, I never advocate anything that is not already the case in the majority of circumstances.
So now I look with interest to Norway. The fellow who murdered some 70 campers and gave a power salute at his sentencing, was given 21 years total, minimum 10 if he behaves himself in prison. Let's see how long he lasts? Will another murderer in year one of a 21 year sentence ice him? If so, why do we need the state?
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
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