Patriots Day, 2004
Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Mon, 19 Apr 2004 12:00:00 GMT
#
Bill St. Clair -
Waco Justice - today is the eleventh anniversary of the brutal
murder by the Clinton administration of 82 people at Waco, 22 of them
innocent helpless little children. My idea, that I wrote in this piece
a few years back, is disturbing, but I still think it's a good
response to this still-unpunished atrocity. And, of course, today is
the two-hundred twenty-ninth anniversary of the shot heard round the
world. It's well past time for another.
# Don "Lobo" Tiggre at The Price of Liberty - The One Thing Guaranteed To Work - teach your children that they are free. That noone, including you, can force them to do anything, except fall down. [price]
I love talking to people about the freedom philosophy, but it has its challenges. Those who are just discovering it are so excited, the whole world seems like a more wonderful place, brimming with possibilities! In contrast, seasoned conservatives, who often understand the economic aspects of the freedom philosophy, have a depressingly grim outlook. Seasoned (so-called) liberals, who often understand the personal aspects of the freedom philosophy, have a depressingly hysterical outlook. Even libertarians, who often understand the freedom philosophy well, have a depressingly hopeless outlook. It's like pulling teeth trying to convince many "seasoned" political observers that they are--in fact--free and that they can exercise their freedom. Convincing them that a stable and free society is possible and perhaps even likely is harder than trying to talk a traffic cop out of a ticket.
So, I've come up with one thing I can suggest to even the most cynical people that is guaranteed to make the world a better place. It is this: teach your children freedom. More specifically: teach your children that they are free, and that no one has a right to hurt them, control them, or to take that which is theirs. Help them to grow up to be healthy individuals, self-aware of their free nature. A free society is composed of free individuals; the former cannot come into being without the latter. If you don't have children, this idea can be applied to nieces, nephews, students, and even employees; anyone to whom you become a mentor.
...
Therefore... I do not use force as a parenting tool. I don't _force_ my children to do anything, not even to eat or go to school. I try very hard to reason with my sons, to give them reasons for cooperating with me, and I have allowed _their_ experience to show that I am usually right. Perhaps this is why they choose to negotiate instead of fight and they choose to go to school while I go to work.
When I say such things, many parents recoil in horror. Their many protestations usually boil down to two errors: they think I let my boys run our house (which _would_ lead to chaos!) and they think that children will not "do the right thing" in most cases (unless compelled to do so by a central authority).
The uncanny resemblance these arguments bear to the excuses of statist apologists is horrifying.
...
Now, back to politics: I challenge anyone to find a more potent way to end the ability of some people to rule over others than to bring into the world people who _will_ _not_ _be_ _ruled_. My nine year old has stood up to his school principal before and even a traffic cop! He doesn't hesitate to argue with his teachers about biodiversity. My seven year old took on his whole class when he was in kindergarten, over the Santa Clause Conspiracy (among adults). My five year old has no fear of telling me that I am wrong. Just try to imagine these boys growing up to say, "sure, take 90% of my paycheck in taxes, what right have I to keep what I earn?"
