In the Detroit Free Press today, I read about A Lobbyist With Integrity. (PDF) Says the lobbyist, about the nature of her post,
Lobbying is just another word for … “What I am is an advocate. And one of the beauties of our form of government … is that … it gives us the right to stand up to our government and say it’s wrong … We don’t have to be afraid of being shot or imprisoned.”
No, but I guess you don’t have to be afraid of being shot or imprisoned, unless you have a disagreement with the government. You may not get shot for voicing dissent, but you’ll certainly be shot if you try to put that dissent into action, even by non-violent resistance. The penalty is always death; this statement is as true as it is hyperbolic. (I find myself repeatedly linking to Mike’s post, because it echoes the exact same thoughts, the same reasoning, as a post that I drafted long ago, but never completed or published. Maybe someday I’ll fine-tune it.)Throughout the ages, governments have been the greatest threat to mankind. Pretending that you’re not in a cage, doesn’t mean that you’re not actually in chains. All government is slavery. The moment one individual desires to exercise his natural right to self-determination, and is denied by the government or the governors, the maxim is proven, since the existence of the government no longer rests on consent.
Taxes are quite capable of enslaving the masses. Telling yourself that you’re not imprisoned doesn’t change the fact that in many ways, you are.
You can “stand up” to your government and say it’s wrong until you’re blue in the face.
But unless you are also permitted to put that belief into action, by refusing to accept its conditions and withdrawing support in whole or in part, all you are is blue in the face.
