Laws! Huh! (Good God Y'all) What Are They Good For?
by Alex R. Knight III
Exclusive to STR
February 7, 2007
Absolutely nothing. Say it again: Absolutely nothing. For as fellow
Root Striker Marc Stevens points out in his excellent book, Adventures In
Legal-Land, a government "law" is nothing more than an opinion backed up by
many guns. This stands in sharp contrast to a scientific law, of course, which
is formed on the basis of objective observation. As well, it is a one-sided
"contract" -- which is, of course, an oxymoron. No one can make a contract by
themselves any more than one could possibly make a "Contract With America."
Here's an example of the very absurdity of legislation (law-making) from
a long-ago experience of mine: In 1972, I accompanied my parents on a trip to
Washington, Denizen of Criminals. My father was an officer in the Air Force,
and had been ordered to attend a week-long series of seminars and conferences
in the capitol. During our stay, we paid a visit to the Lincoln Memorial. At
my father's urging, I walked around the building's interior to Lincoln 's left
(my right), turned left, went through a doorway and up a single flight of
stairs right to the statue itself. At that point, I climbed a metal stepladder
-- the kind big libraries have in order to reach all the books on the upper
shelves (there must've been some maintenance workers nearby or something . . .
or maybe I was just charmed) -- and right straight up on the ex-president's
lap. Just as proud as punch, I settled on his left knee (I did not, then,
understand what a brutal, hypocritical tyrant Lincoln had been; like most kids,
I was taught that he was kind, benevolent, wise, and honest -- a Great American
President. By contrast, looking back, Nixon was a piker compared to Abe). My
parents were down below -- Dad in his crisp uniform, Mom in a full-body paisley
dress -- both waving and smiling. (As an aside, I also remember how impossibly
young they were. So was I, for that matter.) I think my father snapped a
couple of photos, though if so, those pictures no longer exist to the best of
my knowledge -- assuming they ever developed in decent shape. So I regret that
you have to accept my recollections on faith. Because I think we'd all agree
that, attempting to even get near the actual Lincoln statue in 2007 would get
you chucked into a Charleston Navy brig by Homeland Security faster than you
can say "PATRIOT Act." Not so in 1972. Why? What has changed so dramatically
in 35 years so as to render a once innocuous act into something criminally
suspect? How is it that a marble statue of Abraham Lincoln has gone from being
a publicly accessible monument to something off-limits; viewable only from
behind a screen of armed government guards?
Well, one can argue that in a post-9/11 world, things have gotten a lot
more dangerous (and they have -- especially if, like myself, you lend no
credence whatsoever to the government's "official" version of just what
happened that day and who was responsible and why). After all, there were no
Viet Cong strapping bombs to themselves and blowing themselves up in the midst
of big crowds in 1972 -- at least, not here at stateside. But one look at this
country's foreign policy record since the inception of the Monroe Doctrine and
it becomes pretty clear where that path has led us. The power-mongers,
however, would consider neutrality a show of weakness. It would constitute an
inability to control, dominate, and exploit the world. And so, rather than
rescind or renounce any of these arrogant, high-handed, one-sided edicts, more
troops and armor are sent to Iraq, bullets fly in Afghanistan, bellicose
threats are hurled at Iran. And we lose, among many other things, our right to
sit on Abraham Lincoln's lap.
But say, what about murder, theft, rape, assault (you know, all the
things that governments themselves do in the first place)? Those things are
and should be crimes no matter if they're written down or not. They constitute
acts of aggression against persons and property. Using violence (law) to
prevent me or anyone else from sitting on a statue because I might have some
plastic explosives taped to my belly button is not only outrageous, it's prima
facie evidence of a society in decline. We can even reasonably argue that laws
do not protect a civilization, but invariably destroy it.
Laws? They contribute nothing useful whatsoever to the world we live in.
And neither do those whose business it is to make, interpret, and enforce
them.
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Alex R. Knight III is the author of numerous horror, science-fiction, and
fantasy tales. He has also written and published poetry; non-fiction articles,
reviews, and essays for a variety of venues; and is former Communications
Director for the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire . In 1998, he was awarded
Activist of the Year for that organization. He now lives and writes in rural
southern Vermont , and looks forward to living in a governmentless society of
liberty. His official website is: http://home.earthlink.net/~knightgallery
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