| The law has been utterly corrupted! Not only that, | | | | theft and has in turn condemned the act of lawful |
| but those sworn to uphold the law have been defiled | | | | defense which in turn would make it punishable to |
| as well! I'm telling you right now that the law has not | | | | defend ones self against this theft. |
| just been derailed from it's original purpose but has | | | | How did this happen? And what are the |
| completely changed course! Now the law has become | | | | consequences. |
| the weapon of choice for greed! Rather than | | | | It happened because of two things: stupid greed and |
| punishing crime, the law has become a willing | | | | pseudo-philanthropy. Let us begin by analyzing the |
| participant in the very evils it was designed to punish! | | | | first cause. |
| If this is true, it is most serious and I have a moral | | | | A Fatal Tendency of Mankind |
| obligation to warn my countrymen of it. | | | | Everyone wishes to preserve their life and improve it. |
| Life Is a Gift from God | | | | And if people were free and unrestricted in such |
| God gave us a gift which all others derive from. That | | | | endeavors by the use of his faculties and assets, |
| gift is life: physical, intellectual and moral life. | | | | then such social progress would be unending, |
| But life is not self maintaining. God has given us the | | | | uninhibited and unfailing. |
| duty of preserving, developing and perfecting it. In | | | | However, there is also a negative tendency to thrive |
| order to succeed in this, we have been a given | | | | at the expense of others whenever possible. This |
| amazing facutlies and He has given us in the a variety | | | | isn't just some irresponsible statement nor is it made |
| of natural resources. By using our faculties with these | | | | with an attitude of despair and cynicism. History |
| natural resources we can turn these resources into | | | | shows over and over again that this is true: unending |
| products which we can then use. This process is vital | | | | war, mass migrations, religious persecution, universal |
| to life proceeding as it should. | | | | slavery, unethical business, and monopolies. Such a |
| Life, senses, production-- in other words, individuality, | | | | desire is part of man's nature - his basic, natural, |
| liberty, property -- this is man. Despite the most | | | | insatiable urge that compels him to fulfill his dreams in |
| creative politicians, these gifts predate all human laws | | | | the least painful way possible. |
| and surpass them. | | | | Property and Plunder |
| Life, liberty, and property don't exist because a | | | | Man can only satisfy his desires by working for them; |
| bunch of politicians made laws about them. Not at all! | | | | by continually striving to the best of his abilities in |
| In fact it was because of the fact that life, liberty | | | | conjunction with his natural resources. This process is |
| and property existed that men had to make laws to | | | | where property originated. |
| protect them. | | | | It is also true however that his wants can be |
| What Is Law? | | | | satisfied by stealing and using the fruits of someone |
| So then, what is the law? The law is simply the | | | | else's labor. This is the origin of plunder. |
| organization of individuals to ensure their right to legal | | | | Because man naturally wants to avoid pain - and |
| defense. | | | | work is itself pain - then clearly man will attempt to |
| All of us have the natural right - given to us by God - | | | | steal whenever theft is the easier option. This is very |
| to protect ourselves, our liberty and our property. | | | | obvious in history. And when these conditions are |
| These rights are fundamental to life and the | | | | present neither religion or morality will stop it. |
| protection of any one of these is dependant on the | | | | So when does theft end? Logically, it stops when |
| protection of the other two. After all, what are our | | | | theft is more dangerous and painful than work. |
| faculties but the extension of our individuality? And | | | | It should be obvious then that law's proper role is to |
| what is property but an extension of our faculties? | | | | use it's power to stop this tendency to steal rather |
| If every person has the right to defend -- even by | | | | than work. Every aspect of law should safeguard |
| force -- his person, his liberty, and his property, then | | | | one's property and punish theft. |
| naturally a group of men have the right to organize | | | | Generally speaking though, one man or a class of |
| and support a common force that would always | | | | men make the laws. Since law wouldn't be able to |
| protect these rights. And so the principle of collective | | | | function without the sanction and support of a |
| right -- the reason it even exists and is lawful -- is | | | | dominant force, this force has to be entrusted to |
| based on individual right. And the common force that | | | | those who create legisilation. |
| protects this collective right cannot logically have any | | | | This fact, combined with the man's fatal tendency to |
| other purpose or any other mission than that for | | | | be satisfied with the least amount of effort explains |
| which it acts as a substitute. Therefore since an | | | | why the law invariably becomes corrupt. It should be |
| individual cannot legally use force against the person, | | | | easy to see now how the law changes from |
| liberty, or property of someone else, then the | | | | punishing injustice to becoming the unstoppable |
| common force -- for the same reason -- cannot | | | | arbiter of injustice. And why a legislator uses the law |
| lawfully be used to destroy the person, liberty, or | | | | to destroy to some extent among the people, their |
| property of individuals or groups. | | | | autonomy by slavery, their freedom by oppression |
| Such a perversion of force would be, in both cases, | | | | and their property by theft. This is done only for the |
| contrary to our premise. Force has been given to us | | | | benefit of the legislator and is proportional to his |
| to defend our own individual rights. Who would then | | | | degree of power. This is done solely for the benefit |
| argue that force exists to destroy the equal rights of | | | | of the person who makes the law, and in proportion |
| our brothers? Since no one person can legally use | | | | to the power that he holds. |
| force to violate someone else's rights, doesn't it | | | | Victims of Lawful Plunder |
| make sense that the same principle applies to a | | | | Naturally, man will rebel when they are victims of |
| collective force which is essentially a group of | | | | injustice. So when theft is orchestrated by law to |
| individuals? | | | | profit those who make the law, those victims of legal |
| If this is true then it doesn't get any more obvious | | | | plunder will try to become lawmakers themselves |
| than this: The law is the organization of man's natural | | | | through either pacifistic or revolutionary methods. |
| right to legal defense. It's a substitute of a collective | | | | Depending on how enlightened these victims are, |
| force in place of individual forces. And this common | | | | they will take one of two courses of action once |
| force is only to do what the individual has a legal right | | | | they gain power: they will either try to crush legal |
| to do: protect themselves, their liberty and their | | | | plunder or they will try to benefit from it themselves. |
| property; and to maintain the rights of the individual | | | | Woe to the nation when those victims of legal |
| thus ensuring the reign of justice and peace over all. | | | | plunder choose to pursue the latter option once they |
| A Just and Enduring Government | | | | have legislative power! |
| As far as I'm concerned, a nation grounded in such a | | | | Until then, the few steal from the many simply |
| premise would have a prevailing sense of order | | | | because the power to make laws is limited to few. |
| among it's citizens in thought and deed. It seems to | | | | But then let us assume that the power of law |
| me that such a nation would have the most simple, | | | | making becomes available to all men. Then those men |
| easy to accept, economical, limited, nonoppressive, | | | | will seek to make such theft apply to all men in order |
| just, and enduring government imaginable -- whatever | | | | to balance things out. So rather than trying to fix |
| its political form might be. | | | | these social injustices, the simply make them apply to |
| In such a situation everyone would know that they | | | | everyone. The moment these victimized classes |
| are personally responsible for all of their successes | | | | achieve power, they will develop a retributive system |
| and downfalls. Nobody would have any complaints | | | | against other social classes. They won't end legal |
| with the government so long as this person was | | | | plunder. (That would require more enlightenment than |
| respected, he wasn't forced to work, and his | | | | they actually have.) No, instead they decide to |
| earnings were safeguarded from all unjust attacks. | | | | imitate their own oppressors by doing the very same |
| When he succeeded he wouldn't have to thank the | | | | thing that they felt was an injustice to them. |
| government and when he failed he had nobody to | | | | It is as though before justice could rule that |
| blame but himself. After all a farmer can't blame the | | | | everyone would have to suffer cruel retribution - |
| government for bad weather can he? The only way | | | | some for being evil and some for being stupid. |
| that the government would be involved would be in | | | | The Results of Legal Plunder |
| the protection of the rights of the individual. | | | | You couldn't hope to introduce a greater evil to |
| Even better, if the state would stay out of things, | | | | society than changing the law into a tool for stealing |
| we could pursue our own interests in a perfectly | | | | from others. |
| logical way. The poor wouldn't be asking to become | | | | What are results of such corruption? It would require |
| literate before getting food. And we certainly | | | | volumes to describe them all. So let us simply focus |
| wouldn't see people un-necessarily being relocated | | | | on the most obvious results. |
| from rural areas to populate cites or vice versae. Nor | | | | For starters, it destroys society's conscience of what |
| would we see these huge displacements of money, | | | | the difference between justice and injustice is. |
| work and population which is no doubt caused by | | | | Society can't exist without a certain degree of |
| legislative decisions and not by individual choice. | | | | respect for the law. The easiest way to do this is to |
| When the state creates such situations and | | | | make respectable laws. However when law and |
| displacements, the very sources of our livelihood are | | | | morality oppose each other a citizen has only the |
| no longer certain and in fact unstable. Even more so, | | | | cruel choice of abandoning his own sense of morality |
| all this does is burden government with even more | | | | or losing his respect for the law. These two evils are |
| responsibilities. | | | | equally consequential, and how could a person choose |
| The Complete Perversion of the Law | | | | between them? The nature of law is to maintain |
| Unfortunately though law never regulates itself to | | | | justice. This is so vitally important that people equate |
| only do what it's supposed to do. And when it goes | | | | law and justice without any dissimilarity. We all have a |
| beyond it's proper role, it isn't in a trivial manner. It is | | | | natural tendency to assume that something legal is |
| much worse than that; the law has begun to act in | | | | also right. This is prevelant that many people come to |
| outright rebellion against it's sole task. The law has | | | | the wrong conclusion that things are right simply |
| sought to destroy it's goals: It is used to obliterate | | | | because the law says so. So, in order to make |
| the very justice it was meant to uphold; it restricts | | | | people think that theft is perfectly fine, all that needs |
| and destroys the rights it was meant to protect. The | | | | to happen is for the law to say endorse it. It is this |
| collective force has been given to corrupt men who | | | | very reason that there are not only defenders of |
| desire nothing more - and with no consequence to | | | | slavery, restrictions and monopolies that profit from |
| them - to take advantage of the person, autonomy | | | | these institutions but also from those that are the |
| and property of everyone else. Theft has become a | | | | victims of such institutions as well. |
| "right" in order to allow them to continue in their | | | | |