Kids Cuffed for Sugar Possession Not Sweet

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:33:28 GMT  <== Politics ==> 


Michael Gilson-De Lemos at Free Market News Network
- longish commentary on the environment that has made possible the bizarre arrest of a kid for possessing powdered sugar.

Libertarians champion human rights and thus promote voluntary alternatives to coercive and abusive government programs. Back in the '70's, Libertarians would do talks on how the drug and other possession laws--by attacking the principle of personal autonomy--would lead inevitably to banning tobacco and kids being arrested for possessing sugar if the government decided for some reason it was dangerous. The simplest acts would become tinged with suspicion as laws were bent in a pretzel logic. Indeed, selective, show-trial-like prosecutions would become exaggerated under the inexorable momentum of expanding government authority. The only governing principle would become how much prosecutors could think they would get away with. In effect, innocent actions would become criminalized, and public functions stood on their heads: crimes were being redefined to punish the forbidden act, not the intent, and even if there was no harm.

In a phrase, the US would be encouraging Quislings, weasels, rats, police and disgruntled neighbor framers, and hysterics to set the agenda.

People laughed. Those Libertarians with their principles that if you attack one right, you de-stabilize respect for them all: such things could never happen. Common sense would prevail though principles were forgotten. right?

They're not laughing anymore.

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