Thursday, June 14, 2012

Laws as violence

Few people think about what it means to pass a law. All laws are threats of violence. If you do A or fail to do B, the government will enact violence upon you perhaps by forcibly detaining you or taking your property.
Violence is an appropriate response in defense against violent acts. That is why no one disputes laws against murder, rape, theft, etc. These laws threaten violence when violence is committed.
However, responding to non-violent acts with threats of violence is wrong. Something to consider when you voice support for a law against a non-violent act.

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