Days 99-105 - In the Absence of Government

I'm pleased to announce the first-ever "War Is Immoral Podcast." Before you continue reading, simply right-click the previous link and begin downloading the mp3. The show isn't yet available through the iTunes Store, so for the moment you'll have to download it directly and then add it to the mp3 player of your choice.

Episode 1 addresses the atrocity of keeping men in cages regardless of their captor's ability to prove their guilt or innocence (The Right to a Guilty Verdict). Additionally, the show exposes the precedent of unlimited executive power that was set by George W. Bush's disregard for both "Constitutional Law" and more importantly natural law (The Sinister Purpose Behind Bush Administration Lawlessness). The final segment is devoted to recognizing the efforts of a number of individuals trying to free themselves from the involuntary servitude that is generally known as "active duty military service" (Afghanistan War Resistor to "Put the War on Trial").

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In last week's blog, I again put forward the idea that war is a function of the state, and therefore, if people are to ever stop waging wars, they must first stop enabling people to get away with initiating force under the guise of calling themselves government. As I stated last week:

Without the initiation of force, there can be no state, and without a state, all that will remain is a voluntary society.

As for what a voluntary society will look like, and how exactly it will function, no single person, or even group of people, has all the answers. However, this fact doesn't offer any justification for the evil that is government, nor does it serve as an excuse to claim that government (or war) is a "necessary evil." The reality is, that if anyone believed that she or he had a comprehensive plan for what each person should do in order to create a perfect society, this would only serve as an extremely strong utilitarian argument in favor of an absolute dictatorship.

In contrast, an advocate for anarchy, voluntaryism, agorism, market anarchism, or complete liberty, etc., believes that no individual or group would be either capable of or justified in organizing the nearly limitless interactions that comprise any society. Therefore, it is both moral and practical to refrain from initiating force against others.

The ends do not justify the means, so even if there is no all-encompassing plan that spells out exactly how each interaction in a free society will take place, it does not justify how people calling themselves government currently prohibit others from relating in this manner. If you still think that you are free to voluntarily interact with others because you live in the "land of the free," try to engage in trading $1,500 for a pound of cannabis, or, if you're not interested in such substances, try to give an individual a gift of more than $10,000 in one year without someone else saying that she or he has a rightful claim to part of that money (theft by the "IRS").

Looking at history, numerous "practical" arguments were made against the abolition of chattel slavery in America because it was said that nobody could explain exactly what would happen if tens of thousands of enslaved people were to suddenly become free. Likewise, it's argued today that if the millions of people who populate the geographic area known as America were to suddenly be freed from the tyranny of government, all manner of chaos would surely follow.

While there are myriad resources available about how a free society could flourish, the point is not to focus on whether or not we can properly predict the details of what will happen, but rather, just like the abolitionists of the 19th century, we must call for an end to the subjugation of ourselves and our fellow human beings, regardless of whether or not we have the perfect plan for what comes next.

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Another avenue by which you can learn more about the illegitimacy of the state, as well as the values of a voluntary society, is to listen to the Complete Liberty Podcast: Episode 79. This week I again had the pleasure of co-hosting the show with Wes and Brett, and as always the episode is available for direct download by right-clicking here or for free at the iTunes Store.