One day recently, at an event at the park, I was watching people gathering around a cop. Several seemed to be jostling for his attention. I couldn’t help but wonder what the attraction was. Then I remembered someone I know who idolizes the Mafia, and it clicked: Gang members attract groupies. Suddenly I started thinking of other examples of the same phenomenon.
Author: Kent McManigal
Feel “Protected”?
Living near an air farce base, I see a lot of military aircraft flying overhead. Usually big old prop-driven dinosaurs, but recently a couple of fighter jets zipped over the house.
Hire a Professional, or Not?
You and I are constantly told we should “leave it to the professionals.” We are presumed too incompetent to do it ourselves and are told we need to pay someone to do it for us, so we don’t get hurt. Except… there is one profession that if we choose to hire a professional practitioner, we could be “arrested.” In this case, we are told we must only use amateurs and shouldn’t hire a professional.
Police Lead to Police States
You can’t have a police state without police. And, if you allow government to have police, you’re probably going to find yourself in a police state sooner or later.
Get Your Own House in Order First
Before making a big deal of someone else’s actions, it’s a good idea to look in the mirror. You might be surprised by what you see.
Fellow Travelers Taking Detours
A lot of people will never care about liberty. At all. They’ll never value it. Forget them. They are like rocks and trees on the landscape. They are scenery. Learn to navigate around them. Don’t go out of your way to kick them. That will only end up hurting you.
Instant or Nothing?
I really don’t understand those willing to act as though these acts of statism are “legitimate” just because they aren’t going away today. Cancer won’t be cured today, either, but that’s no reason to pretend it’s good or necessary.
May Cops Defend Innocent People from Attack?
Fred asks a couple of questions about cops and violence, saying they won’t be answered by folks of my sort because they’ll trigger cognitive dissonance.
Statists are Crybabies
How many times have you been minding your own business, just talking to other liberty lovers, when some statist troll pops up and says: “Show me how your imaginary anarchist society will work!” or some other version of “It can’t work!” It happens to me all the time.
About Those “Bad Apples”
Let’s pretend that the problem with cops really is “just a few bad apples” like cop supporters continually insist. What does an apple seller do with any bad apples he discovers in a barrel of apples?