As a
libertarian, I am familiar with the oft-stated complaint that my views
represent a yearning for anarchy. If the critics are suggesting that I wish to
reduce government’s role to a very minimalist level or to limit the federal
leviathan to its enumerated constitutional functions, then I plead “guilty.” I
do so with vigor and glee. If those same critics believe that
self-determination is the equivalent of social anarchy, I say “bring it on.” I
do not fancy myself a fool who has been compromised by some misguided dream of
Walden Pond. No, I am a wounded realist who has witnessed the oppressive growth
of government and its suffocating nature. I have been battered and beaten by
too many “good ideas” initiated by others who believe that I am incapable of making
life-affirming choices.
My
over-extended line of reasoning has led me to conclude that if I err and do not
harm or damage others’ lives or property, then I must suffer and recover from
the consequences of my faulty decision-making. If government assumes the power
to choose for me and missteps, the entire nation….or a significant portion of
it…will be harmed. Suffice it to say that I respect you and your preferences
too much to want you to be damaged on my behalf. In other words… self-reliance,
self-determination and individual sovereignty are the ultimate expressions of
concern for others and their well-being. If my stupidity or naiveté lead me to
the pits, why should you be forced to share my misery and pain? For those of
the Christian faith…. Christ took the sins of humankind to the cross so that we
could be spared eternal estrangement from Father. While each of us has his own
cross to bear, we are not forced to endure that agonizing reconciliation for
all.
The
individualistic impulse is imprinted into our very nature. We seek to forge our
own pathways and follow our personal compasses. We want to be free, but… at the
same time some of us seek to escape the consequences of our frivolity and
foolishness. There are those among us who believe that our better natures can
be molded and manipulated into paragons of passivity leading to a level of
hum-drum happiness and contentment. Perhaps … but not for all of us. If a
significant number of us seek the succor and sustenance of government, it must
by its twisted mission, force all of us to comply with its mendacious mandates.
The lies of big government deceive us by luring us into a false security. Its
enveloping arms of comfort become restrictive bands of tyranny. Those of us who
long for liberty are compelled to resist by whatever means available.
Resistance is messy. Reaction to resistance can ratchet the conflict upward and
into chaos. Suppression and oppression often yield anarchy when the smoke has
cleared.
The greatest
antidote for anarchy is freedom. A free people have no compulsion to dismantle
the infrastructure of the state. Their liberty and the government’s limitations
provide an environment for prosperity and personal development. As our Framers
envisioned it, one of the primary obligations of the federal government is to protect and defend the individual
liberties of the nation’s citizens. The wise and learned crafters of our
republic understood that liberty cannot be constrained for extended periods
because the people will either cease production or openly rebel. A free people
have no need to resist or subvert the government. When a government
illegitimately over burdens its people with a bevy of laws, rules and
regulations that are designed to constrict their individual opportunities for
self-fulfillment, the citizens or a surly portion of them will vigorously
react.
Because
tyrannical regimes restrict the means and the resources for people to mount a resistance
movement, the anti-government liberty effort will necessarily be ragtag and
disjointed. If the citizenry successfully dislodges the offending government,
the resultant outcome will lead to a number of liberty-minded groups vying to
install their respective versions of a free and wholesome society. Under such a
scenario there are two overwhelmingly likely end games. One is that a new round
of repression would ensue in order for the victors to solidify their gains. The
other is that the leadership and organizational structure of the successful
groups would be quite diffuse and disorganized resulting in broad based anarchy
across the land. The challenge would be for each region to design and
re-establish some element of government and order that honors the freedom of
its residents. Fortunately there is an excellent model from the late Eighteenth
Century that has been enhanced by two and a quarter centuries of experience.
In essence
an oppressive government is one that forcefully and unnecessarily squeezes a
tube of toothpaste. If its tyrannical behavior incites an insurrection, it
remains for the survivors to place the product back into the tube.
