Sacred nonaggression principle, part 2
Posted in Sound Off Soapbox by R Lee Wrights on December 22nd, 2012 by Brian Wright
I ended the first part with an argument that by making the simple nonaggression principle sacred we make that idea far more acceptable to large numbers of real, non-ideological people. Most people, especially in the USA today, are inclined to go along with you, or at least let you be.
For example, a friend of mine, when they ask for his Social Security number, says “My religion doesn’t use Social Security numbers.” I.e. “my sacred belief system doesn’t accept whatever.” And it works.
The government doesn’t like to mess with people’s sacred belief systems, no matter what the beliefs. If we can wrap secular (especially red-white-and-blue) holy cloth around the nonaggression principle, we will see a sea change in world politics.
I mentioned technical issues in Part 1: In order for the SNaP to carry the day, in my judgment large numbers of regular individuals must:
1) Overcome inertia
2) Grasp and agree with the NaP
3) Imagine a future w/o coercion
Or to briefly expand on the above assertions:
1) Overcome inertia-Say you draw government welfare payments-either in the form of individual checks or corporate subsidies-that exceed what the government takes from you. Then as a net beneficiary you will have trouble letting go of your apparent favored status.
2) Grasp and agree with the NaP-The nonaggression principle (NaP) simply states nobody initiates force against anyone else. Whatever you do that requires others, you must get the everyone’s voluntary consent. Government overriding that consent by law is the worst violation of all.
3) Imagine a future w/o coercion-Think of it: no taxes withheld from your paycheck; when you pay off the mortgage your home is yours free and clear; no one impresses your children into state indoctrination centers; you may inhale or ingest any substance you want; nobody may foul your air, land, or water…
I can go on forever on number 3, because I’ve been acquiring a lot of imagination since coming to the Free State. But here is a practical list of things we can do to “SNaP out of it:”
o Withdraw one’s moral sanction. Without your consent, the state is dead in the water. A tax strike would be ideal.
o Restore habeas corpus and the Bill of Rights to all.
o Legalize all consensual behavior, especially drugs. Wasting half a trillion dollars on the drug laws in an age of terrorism is immoral.
o Separate the state from schooling. To send your kids to school, write a check. Leave me (and my kids) out of your government’s plans.
o Similarly, separate the state from charitable giving. Americans give $300 billion a year in charity. Stop welfare, they’ll give more.
o Eliminate corporate privileges; end vast political concentrations of wealth in the hands of those who use it to scorch the earth.
Okay, the list is necessarily brief. But you see where I’m going with it.
My six-point program sounds fairly radical UNLESS you can let go of any special state bennies, get right with the nonaggression principle, and imagine how wonderful your life can be when you give up the sword.
It has to happen… soon. Then any political figure who wants a chance of gaining office in 2008 will feel compelled to affirm five out of six of them. This leads me to an immediate form of social protest that could be pointedly effective… in Part 3.
Brian Wright is an author living in Michigan. Brian has embarked on a course of more direct action toward achieving political freedom, letting go of exclusively seeking liberty through actions premised on the American (or other) nation-state. You can contact Mr. Wright at brian_r_wright@yahoo.com.
