I prefer consequences to revenge

(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 17, 2019)

If your idea of a good time is to vandalize someone's home, I have no sympathy for you no matter what consequences result.

Last year a relative's home near Clovis was burglarized and cleaned out. Through the ruthless determination of his granddaughter, all his belongings were discovered on the property of the burglar (or an accomplice) and recovered.

Now, someone has decided it was a good idea to try to destroy his whole house. The house he built with his own hands more than half a century ago.

If you think this makes me angry, you'd be on the right track.

When a person makes the choice to violate life, liberty, or property they've lost their humanity in my eyes. Their reasons or justifications never matter.

I understand spur-of-the-moment bad decisions, but to make a conscious decision to violate someone? That's where I draw the line.

No, it doesn't mean I want to see the law used against them. In fact, the law does more to protect bad guys from consequences than it does to protect their victims.

Nor am I calling for punishment, which I oppose as revenge. I prefer social consequences. Real justice. Including-- specifically-- shunning.

There are people out there who know these and other criminals who make a habit of victimizing residents of the community. I doubt either they or the violators they know are literate enough to read newspapers or anything else, though. Maybe someone can read this to them.

If you know someone who habitually violates others, and you choose to continue associating with them, you are as guilty as they are. Violators should be left to die alone in the elements, naked and starving. There's no excuse to sell them food, water, fuel, clothing, shelter, or medical care once you are aware of their choice to violate. If you continue to trade products and services with them you are spitting in the faces of all their victims; past, present, and future.

I'd rather see their pictures, addresses, and crimes posted on social media or on public flyers. Let everyone know who they are and what they do. "Innocent until proven guilty" is only the standard for government courts. If you know the truth, share it.

Consequences of this sort would do more to promote civilization than all the laws you could ever write and enforce. Violators survive only because otherwise good people help them, even if it's accidental. Stop enabling them to live to violate again.

-
Thank you for helping support KentforLiberty.com

A "productive conversation" on re-instituting slavery?

The anti-gun bigots out there are really upset that you and I aren't willing to discuss "gun control" [sic] with them. I mean, why can't we just sit down for a "productive conversation"?

There's a very good reason: some topics are simply not worth discussing.

Why can't "we" have a productive conversation on how to work out a compromise on slavery?

Because slavery is WRONG. There's no possible compromise between slavery and the absence of slavery. There's no reason to keep rehashing the topic. Nothing can ever change to make slavery OK. Not your feelings and not the behavior of bad people. It doesn't matter how many people honestly believe slavery is necessary or will save lives.

That's the same reason "we" can't have a conversation on "gun control" [sic]. It's wrong. It's unethical. It's illegal-- of course, "laws" can be changed and the Constitution can be ignored. There's no reason to keep rehashing the topic until you come up with the results you want. Nothing can ever make anti-gun "laws" OK. Not your feelings or the acts of bad people. It doesn't matter how many people honestly believe slavery-- in the form of anti-gun "laws"-- is necessary or will save lives.

I'm not willing to "discuss" anti-gun ideas with anyone for the same reason I'm not willing to discuss re-instituting chattel slavery.

Their idea of "productive" is that they get to violate your natural human rights more than they already do. So, no, I'm not going to give you the time of day for that "conversation".

Only anti-gun bigots find this unreasonable. Ethical people with worthwhile principles understand the trap and aren't willing to participate in their own enslavement.

-

Writing is my job.
I hope I add something you find valuable. If so...
YOU get to decide if I get paid.