To “Advocate”

No one has the right to advocate the initiation of force or property violations. If you are libertarian, this is something you know. But, what exactly does it mean to “advocate” something?

It doesn’t just mean to believe it, or to even accept it. It doesn’t mean to discuss it with others as a hypothetical possibility.

Dictionary.com says to advocate means “to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly

It means to try to convince others to do something you want them to do. This can be good or bad.

It’s not a “free speech” issue once you start advocating that someone do something they have no right to do.

In spite of “legal” opinions to the contrary, you do have a right to falsely yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater, but you have no right to light the flames and then claim you didn’t do anything wrong, it was the fire’s fault. Advocating archation is lighting the flames of archation in weak hearts and minds. You have no right to do so.

Sure, if you are trying to talk someone into violating life, liberty, or property, and they actually do it, the bulk of the guilt is on them for being the ones who chose to archate. However, you had no right to advocate what you did, so you share the blame.

If this weren’t the case Hitler would be innocent of any wrongdoing. After all, he probably never killed anyone himself, he simply advocated that others do so. Rather effectively. So did Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Bill Clinton, George Bush (both of them), Obama, and every other tyrannical mass murderer throughout history. Even if any of them did personally kill some people, the numbers of those killed because they advocated it is orders of magnitude greater.

This doesn’t mean I want “laws” used against you, or to see you punished if you advocate archation. It means I am warning you that people have the right to defend themselves from you when you are out there advocating their violation. You are warned.

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