-Caveat Lector- Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 From: "M.A. Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Day That Anarchy Came To Lithia Springs by Rob Moody Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. ~ Henry David Thoreau Something remarkable happened last week in Lithia Springs, a town of 2,072 just west of Atlanta: The city council held its last meeting before dissolving the city government. In March, residents voted overwhelmingly to dissolve the town. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The referendum that ended the town was part of the settlement in a lawsuit brought by city residents charging the city should be dissolved because it didn't deliver enough services to justify its existence under state law. [If you live in a small town in Georgia and have some time on your hands, this sounds like a tremendous opportunity to strike a blow for liberty. And for those of you working in police anti-gang units, note how Lithia Springs got rid of its gang.] Incorporated in 1882, Lithia Springs was dissolved the first time in 1933. Since reincorporating in 1994, it has had five mayors and one scandal: Former Mayor Rosa Mary Johnson in 1998 pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge for using city money to buy personal items." No surprise there, as criminals are attracted to gangs. What is a surprise (at least for most people) is that although anarchy now reigns in Lithia Springs, chaos does not. My dictionary defines anarchy as "Absence of any form of political authority," while chaos is defined as "A state or place of total confusion or disorder." I can't count the number of times I've heard some Republican law-and-order type reject a proposal to expand the sphere of liberty by saying, "But then we'd have anarchy," when what they mean to say is, "But then we'd have chaos." The word anarchy has gotten a bad rap, not only by being substituted for chaos, but by its use by left-wing anarchists, who I believe actually want the opposite of anarchy. What do most people think of when they hear the word anarchy? I think of some guy throwing a bomb, or chaos in the streets. As libertarians, we need to reclaim and rehabilitate that word before it becomes unusable. Even in its death throes, the Lithia Springs City Council tried to squander the taxpayers' money. As one of their last official acts, council members tried to give $26,000 to a youth baseball organization and $28,000 to the local fire station, but the city attorney told them that such donations were illegal. And rather than return the money that it had confiscated from residents, the council turned over the city government's assets ($326,000 in cash, a Ford Explorer and office furniture) to the Douglas County government, its partner in crime. According to the AJC, "Councilman Joe Meekes expressed disappointment, saying that the town council could have improved life there had it a few more years." If only they had more time, if only they had more money, if only they had the right people, if only they could crack a few more skulls. Meekes said, "It's all over now but the crying. I'm not going to cry but I feel sorry for the community." Hey Joe, do us all a big favor and crawl back under the statist rock you crawled out from. As we hurtle downhill on this toboggan ride to tyranny, it's heartening to hear about a victory for liberty, however small it may be. One down, ten thousand more to go. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om