Larken Rose on Immigration
Larken Rose has sent out four new missives in his TMDS (The Most Dangerous Superstition) series:
17 Aug 2007: Understanding the Trick
18 Aug 2007: Illegal People?
18 Aug 2007: Hit a Nerve
18 Aug 2007: Temptation vs. Principle
Those of you who think the U.S. government should work harder to prevent "illegal aliens" from coming the the United States won't be happy. Those of us who realize that the government has no authority to exist, me for example, will applaud.
A lot changes when you lose the self-contradictory belief in
"government." A lot of concepts you accepted as self-evident
evaporate, such as country borders, citizenship, patriotism, and
nationalism. Take, for example, that imaginary line between Mexico
and the U.S. What is it? How did it get there? It is the boundary
between the dirt which one set of tyrants claims the right to rule,
and the dirt which another set of tyrants claims the right to rule.
You can wave the flag all you want, and talk about "your" country
and "patriotism," but the fact is, country boundaries are based
entirely upon the inherently bogus, arbitrary claims of the RIGHT
TO RULE made by various megalomaniacs.You have no more "right" to be here than someone born in Zimbabwe,
or Budapest, or anywhere else. Therefore, you have no right to use
force to stop them from coming here, nor can you delegate to
someone ELSE the right to do so. To put it as bluntly as I can, ALL
"immigration laws" are 100% illegitimate, unjustifiable violence--
all of them, in every country, under any circumstances....
Let's use a specific scenario, instead of sloshing around vague
generalities: Juan is an American citizen (of Mexican ancestry) who
lives in El Paso, and owns a restaurant. His cousin, Carlos, lives
just across the river, in Mexico. Juan wants Carlos to come live in
his big house, and work at his restaurant. Carlos wants that too.Question: Do you personally have the right to take a gun, go to
Juan's house, and tell Carlos that he CANNOT live in that house,
and CANNOT work in that restaurant?Answer the question, at least to yourself, before you continue.
Once again, you can hide behind various "authority" mythology, like
"Constitutions" and "laws," but what it comes down to in reality is
that if you forcibly chased Carlos away, YOU are the one initiating
violence; YOU are the one oppressing someone who has done nothing
to harm you or anyone else; YOU are the bad guy. And if you ask
someone ELSE to do the thuggery for you (like "government"), you
are still the bad guy.
Previous Posts:
Markos Moulitsas vs. Stephen Colbert
Jailed in Defense of the Constitution
Jailed in Defense of the Constitution
Quote
Heretical Thoughts about Science and Society
I'd Rather Be Alive and Safe than Raped and Dead. Wouldn't You?
Why Do People the Government Says Don't Exist Keep Writing Me?
Ron Paul Leads the Race
Day Zero
Time to admit the 'gun nuts' are right