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Old 04-19-2016, 09:24 AM   #103
MavzMan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan View Post
To quote Murray Rothbard:
We may test the hypothesis that the State is largely interested in protecting itself rather than its subjects by asking: which category of crimes does the State pursue and punish most intensely — those against private citizens or those against itself? The gravest crimes in the State's lexicon are almost invariably not invasions of private person or property, but dangers to its own contentment, ...
First off, I like the post and it's very well worded. Sorry, I'm not nearly as elloquent as you are, but ....

I'm not sure that I agree with the point being made by your quote of Rothbard. The analogy that comes to mind is airline instructions before the plane takes off. "In case of emergency, before helping the person next to you, put your own mask on."

I would argue that the most serious crime would actually be government corruption. With government corruption, it would be an anything goes scenario and then the whole purpose of protecting the people flies out the window or event worse, the people are actually terrorized by their own government. Thoughts?


Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirkadirkastan View Post
The superstition essentially goes like this: "People are dangerous and I do not trust them, therefore we need some kind of authority to keep such dangerous people in check." The obvious flaw in this sentiment is that this supposed "authority" is nothing more than other mere people, and so does not address the core issue. I refer to it as a superstition because of the emphasis on badges: when someone puts on a badge, suddenly they have extra rights no one else has and are deserving of reverence and praise, and once they take the badge off again, they're just ordinary, dangerous, unwashed mere people once again.
Again, I disagree with this mostly ... I don't neccessarily "praise" officers, but I do hold a certain amount of reverence for them and most definitely respect. Your equating them as ordinary, unwashed people like me doesn't really work. They go through a significant amount of training in order to put on that badge. If I walk into a police station and put on a badge, I don't instantly become their equal. Are they still human and make mistakes? Yes. But I think you are extremely minimizing what it takes not just in training, but also mentally to be prepared for daily confrontations that COULD result in people trying to kill you. I sit at a desk and am only in danger of either a paper cut or more likely a heart attack because I don't get enough excersize.
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