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Is it OK for me to go into your house and take your stuff?
What if I first write on a piece of paper that it's OK for me to go into your house and take your stuff? Does that make it OK?
What if I get a lot of people to agree with me that the permission slip I wrote for myself makes it OK?
What if, instead of using the permission slip for myself, I hire someone (with the proceeds gained by taking stuff from houses) to go into your house and take your stuff? Surely it's OK now. Right?
What if this began long, long ago, with the permission to go into your house and take your stuff passed along to individuals (in the guise of a collective "right" or "social contract") in each new generation... and that's how it has always been for you, your parents, grandparents, and so on for hundreds of years? Does that make going into your house and taking your stuff OK?
What if you call the paper a "law", those passing along the permission a "government", taking your stuff "taxation", and the guy going into your house a "police officer", IRS agent, or some other government employee? Is it OK now?
-Or-
Is it OK for me to tell you how to behave when your behavior isn't hurting anyone else and isn't any of my business?
What if I write a note, outlining what I won't allow you to do, and giving myself permission to take your money, physically hurt you, or force you into a cage if you do the things I don't want you to do? It's OK now?
What if lots of people like the note I wrote and agree with me that you shouldn't be allowed to do those things, even though no one else is harmed? Does that make it OK?
What if people have been giving themselves permission to write those kinds of notes (and then use force against those who ignore the notes) for thousands of years, so that few people can even imagine another way anymore? The notes have been stacking up over the centuries so that no one even knows for sure what they all say now. This must make it OK... right?
What if I call myself government, my meddling opinions "laws", my aggressive thugs "police", taking your money a "fine", hurting you "correction" or "officer safety", and caging you "imprisonment"? Does that make it OK?
If you believe it is, you don't have sufficient ethical character to be an anarchist.
Excellent Kent. Only an anarchist could have the clarity of mind to see it this way and regrettably, only an anarchist could have the ethics to accept the truth of it.
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