The Gun in the Room by Stefan Molyneux
Submitted by atrickpay on Sat, 04/04/2009 - 02:31
"One of the most difficult – and essential – challenges faced by libertarians is the constant need to point out "the gun in the room"...It is a wearying but essential task to keep reminding people that the state is nothing but an agency of violence. When someone talks about "the welfare state helping the poor," we must point out the gun in the room...."
Click here to read article.
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Great Article, atrickpay,
and great links, limelemon, thanks to you both.
That was good...
I have always found that during any discussion on gov't involvement the end is when they "blank out" when I bring up the use of force. I always hope that they will run into someone else who will make another dent. Ayn Rand did a good job hammering away at the gun for me. 1984 is a good start though "Have gun; will nudge"
Sometimes when you hear the truth...
It is so heavy that you only wish to put it aside. That's a heavy message argued in that article. And what's worse, it's true. I think this ties right back into the "armed response" threads that seem to be popping up every so often. They ask when do we attack, what is the tipping point, where do we meet up to march off to war. Simply put, we do not march to war. We draw a line and defend it. I think that line is clearly and articulately defined within this article. We do not war, we defend. We do not fight, we protect. We do not win, we sustain. Freedom and Liberty, ironically can only be properly defended when truth and clarity have failed as it's shield. When others dismiss our ability to defend ourselves in regard to their desire for control, then we will find our toes hugging the line.
I will from now on have an easy time of debating, but a more difficult time holding my tongue. It is frustrating to have so clear an insight as I have gained from this reading, and relate it to how blind so many have become. It is imperative to spread a message of truth, we are bound by our creator to help one another (whomever your creator may be), yet we are forced by greed to run an endless gauntlet of half truths and misinterpretation in effort to deliver our insights. Greed from within and without is the impetus, seen or not, behind the divestment of enormous labor into blinding ourselves and others to the truths of the world.
This predicament is not untenable, but the conflict is not manageable without first understanding our position, or terrain. We are in a great debate existing from time unrecorded. But, what will we do when that gun in the room is put into use against those who would challenge its existence? Unfortunately, knowing the truth is a heavy burden to bear.
Assert Your Authority
Assert Your Authority
Although I'm not an anarchist...
...I certainly sympathise with the view that says:
"If taxes are the payment for government services - I wish to unsubscribe!"
Allowing people to "opt out" of various government services and get private sector coverage instead would be a great step forward.
The obvious candidates would be welfare and healthcare provision. If anarchists want to extend the "opt outs" into law & order, I'd like hear how it would work in practice.
Personally, I'm fed up hearing anarchists say "oh, I'd just hire a security firm to protect me." The difference between a private security officer and a police officer is that the police officer is not my employee!
Let's not compare apples with oranges. Are we going to do away with the courts and empty the prisons? Let's talk specifics.
http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/
http://lpuk.blogspot.com/
http://northwestlibertarians.blogspot.com/
Put down the gun
Put down the gun, then we'll talk. The ball is in your court to stop advocating violence against people who are speaking out against government's monopoly on law and defense services. The government enforces its monopoly via coercion/force/violence and the threat thereof.
Just because you can't see how law and order would work without this monopoly doesn't mean that the violence that you are supporting is justified.
Good link to start you off...
www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/bryan6.html
Also recommended:
www.lewrockwell.com/long/long11.html
www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard133.html
No one says it better than Stefan Molyneux
Stefan Molyneux never ceases to amaze me with his eloquant insight. Each age produces a few standout proponants of the free society. Molyneux is one of the few for this age. I urge all DPers to listen to at least a few of his free podcasts at freedomainradio.com. You already sympathize with liberty and are deeply suspicious of government or you wouldn't be here. Molyneux coordinates these sentiments into a coherant structure of liberty with humor, logic, compassion and facts that devastates statism of all stripes.
marlow
marlow
Stefan's keynote address at the 2009 Liberty Forum in NH 3/8/09
'Against Me' - How to Win Political Arguments in Two Minutes or Less
Here is Stefan's 1 hr and 50 min. speech --
Right click here and chose "Save Target As..."
This is a 10 min video clip from that speech.
Enjoy.