Write-up by Josh Wiley posted to CerebralIndustrialComplex.com
This article is for the irate minority who, like myself, have come to the realization that government, by its nature, constitutes a monopoly on force.
Sadly, we live in a world in which there exists at least two classes of citizens: The average public Joe and the enforcement arm of the state. Unlike a “normal” citizen whose right to self-defense is severely limited by law, law enforcement and military do not have such restrictions. In fact, they are virtually void of restrictions at all, having the legal authority to incarcerate, attack, and even murder other individuals who lack their uniform and shiny badge.
Historical examples of such abuse of power are countless – the Kent State massacre; numerous undeclared wars, facilitated in our modern age by armed drones; the murder of Amadou Diallo; the illegal and racist stop-and-frisk policy of the NYPD, etc. Recently, the Occupy Wall Street protests (regardless of any opinion one may hold of the protesters) have put the issue of police brutality back into the public discourse:
This article is for the irate minority who, like myself, have come to the realization that government, by its nature, constitutes a monopoly on force.
Sadly, we live in a world in which there exists at least two classes of citizens: The average public Joe and the enforcement arm of the state. Unlike a “normal” citizen whose right to self-defense is severely limited by law, law enforcement and military do not have such restrictions. In fact, they are virtually void of restrictions at all, having the legal authority to incarcerate, attack, and even murder other individuals who lack their uniform and shiny badge.
Historical examples of such abuse of power are countless – the Kent State massacre; numerous undeclared wars, facilitated in our modern age by armed drones; the murder of Amadou Diallo; the illegal and racist stop-and-frisk policy of the NYPD, etc. Recently, the Occupy Wall Street protests (regardless of any opinion one may hold of the protesters) have put the issue of police brutality back into the public discourse:
Despite the sheer audacity of the expansion of the police state, there are
indeed evil people in the world who are not part of military or law enforcement,
a point which opponents of anarchy are keen to bring up whenever the term enters
discussion. “If there’s no government, who would police the homefront? If
there’s no government, who would defend our country from foreign invaders?” The
short answer to these questions is that you and I, the average citizen, would
take up this responsibility.
The debate over having a standing army in America is by no means a new one. The argument extends back to the genesis of the country, the results of original cogitation on the subject being a matter of public record. Like so many Constitutional edicts, the original intent of the Founders has been muddled over the centuries by the expansion of Executive power. However, this deliberate manipulation of law to allow State force by fiat does not change the words of our forefathers, whose position on a standing army is clearly and unambiguously defined in one short sentence:
The debate over having a standing army in America is by no means a new one. The argument extends back to the genesis of the country, the results of original cogitation on the subject being a matter of public record. Like so many Constitutional edicts, the original intent of the Founders has been muddled over the centuries by the expansion of Executive power. However, this deliberate manipulation of law to allow State force by fiat does not change the words of our forefathers, whose position on a standing army is clearly and unambiguously defined in one short sentence:
Thanks to the modern war paradigm spearheaded by the Military Industrial Complex, these original
limitations on a standing army have long since faded from public memory. Despite
clear wording stating that an armed land force in America could last only two
years and would not be comprised of a national army, but instead by a coalition
of State and private militias to be supported by the Federal government, the
United States has institutionalized multiple permanent standing armies and
spends more on them than the rest of the world
combined.
Should my interpretation of the Constitution not suffice, I would invite the reader to instead analyze the words of some of the very men who penned it:
Should my interpretation of the Constitution not suffice, I would invite the reader to instead analyze the words of some of the very men who penned it:
At the very least, it should be clear that some of our founders had enough
foresight to expunge from the Federal government the power to maintain a
permanent ground force. It should be noted, however, that such provisions have
not stopped executors from seizing such power regardless of the Constitution, a
problem that will persist so long as there exists a centralized body with the power to steal from its citizens to fund such
endeavors.
Despite its brilliance, the Constitution does provide for a permanent Navy, proponents of which argue that, while a land force could potentially be used by elected tyrants to threaten the citizenry, a force relegated to the seas has no potential to do so. Jefferson advocated such a position in a letter to James Monroe in 1786.
Despite its brilliance, the Constitution does provide for a permanent Navy, proponents of which argue that, while a land force could potentially be used by elected tyrants to threaten the citizenry, a force relegated to the seas has no potential to do so. Jefferson advocated such a position in a letter to James Monroe in 1786.
It is important to note that while Jefferson’s technical distinction between
a standing army and navy may hold true, a permanent naval force allows for
imperial conquest at great expense to both human life and the taxpayer. Astute
students of American history will recall that Jefferson himself was indeed the
first person to use the American navy as a
force for conquest.
The case for the abolition of a standing army in favor of an armed citizenry extends into modern history with the advent of World War II. An unsourced quote, supposedly attributed to Japanese General Isoroku Yamamoto, has been floating around the Internet for a few years now, contending that Japan feared a ground invasion of America due to the high rate of gun ownership among the populous. No historical evidence has been found to substantiate this quote; however, a similar quote uttered by an unnamed Japanese officer in conversation with Navy veteran Bob Menard aboard the USS Constellation years after the war may well be the source of this oft-mis-attributed statement:
The case for the abolition of a standing army in favor of an armed citizenry extends into modern history with the advent of World War II. An unsourced quote, supposedly attributed to Japanese General Isoroku Yamamoto, has been floating around the Internet for a few years now, contending that Japan feared a ground invasion of America due to the high rate of gun ownership among the populous. No historical evidence has been found to substantiate this quote; however, a similar quote uttered by an unnamed Japanese officer in conversation with Navy veteran Bob Menard aboard the USS Constellation years after the war may well be the source of this oft-mis-attributed statement:
At the very least, it should be abundantly clear that Japan had no desire to
invade the United States; not because of Her military might, but because of the
sheer rate of private gun ownership. With
the right to bear arms severely limited by government, it’s easy to see how the
concern of the Japanese over citizen armaments would have been magnified if
Americans were allowed to own war machines currently only allocated for military
use, such as tanks and missiles.
Up to this point, the reader will most likely notice that the bulk of this article has dealt with anarchic military as opposed to police. This is deliberate, as we have now entered an era in which there is virtually no distinction between soldiers and supposed “law enforcement.”
Up to this point, the reader will most likely notice that the bulk of this article has dealt with anarchic military as opposed to police. This is deliberate, as we have now entered an era in which there is virtually no distinction between soldiers and supposed “law enforcement.”
Amidst the implementation of military-style checkpoints by
DHS on American streets, the purchase of armored vehicles by
police departments, and the use of armed surveillance drones by local police,
the militarization of police in the wake of the War on Terror paradigm is
blatantly obvious. As the old saying goes, “If it looks like a duck, swims like
a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”
Quack. Quack. Quack.
Technical ramifications and pragmatic applications as to how the use of force would be managed in an anarchist society vary greatly depending on the school of anarchism; libertarian socialists and anarcho-syndicalists argue for the stateless collectivization of law enforcement, while anarcho-capitalists (like myself) believe a truly open and free market would provide for society’s enforcement needs. Whatever camp one may fall in ideologically, a schema for law enforcement in a stateless society should be built upon the non-aggression principle, a moral axiom that could be easily agreed upon by anarchists of all persuasions.
For those interested in learning more about one possible archetype for law enforcement and military in an anarchist society, I leave you with an excerpt of the late Murray N. Rothbard‘s book For a New Liberty detailing how such a system would operate. Rothbard, the father of anarcho-capitalism, articulates this point far more eloquently than this writer could hope to do.
Quack. Quack. Quack.
Technical ramifications and pragmatic applications as to how the use of force would be managed in an anarchist society vary greatly depending on the school of anarchism; libertarian socialists and anarcho-syndicalists argue for the stateless collectivization of law enforcement, while anarcho-capitalists (like myself) believe a truly open and free market would provide for society’s enforcement needs. Whatever camp one may fall in ideologically, a schema for law enforcement in a stateless society should be built upon the non-aggression principle, a moral axiom that could be easily agreed upon by anarchists of all persuasions.
For those interested in learning more about one possible archetype for law enforcement and military in an anarchist society, I leave you with an excerpt of the late Murray N. Rothbard‘s book For a New Liberty detailing how such a system would operate. Rothbard, the father of anarcho-capitalism, articulates this point far more eloquently than this writer could hope to do.