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Self-Ownership
by Cassandra C. Grissom and Sean N. Gruber
[email protected]       [email protected]

Attribute to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise

America has become a statist, freedom-hating, catch-phrase espousing, ignorant, and nightmarish shadow of its own, once great, (though still flawed) self. And the easiest way that we can think to prove this claim, follows:

I OWN my own body! Ownership means; dominion! I control or don't, I choose or don't, I determine or don't, every single facet of my controllable conscious existence. I'm limited by nothing but reality and the respect of others same right to the lack of said limitations.

Our Founding Fathers drew up the Declaration of Independence in rebellion to a "government." They conceived The Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution) to prevent the "government" from becoming what it was in their time, and to protect us from it becoming once again, exactly what it has become today.

This is not freedom that we live in, we live in tyranny! Every day that the People of the United States of America allow the "government" to walk in and out of their life with no regard whatsoever to The Bill of Rights, we prove that we don't have the gumption or will to protect our convictions and values.

The "government" claims dominion over you every time it demands an ID from you to buy alcohol! It claims dominion over you every time it demands a card from your doctor to buy marijuana or to get a permit to carry a gun! It claims dominion every time is assumes it has a rightful place in your medical business! It claims dominion every time is supposes it knows how to better prepare you for your retirement. It claims dominion every time it suggests or demands of you whom to kill or whom to die for. And it insults all of us to a point of intolerable degradation when it locks up people who video record its agents (the cop's) violating the few limitations it still purports to impose upon itself!

The state is controlling your body and what you can and cannot do with it. They have already invoked a weird version of right-wing state socialism, and a total left-wing Nazi police state is quick on its heels. The powers that be are laughing because most Americans haven't the faintest idea what is actually going on. They seem to know something is wrong, but being philosophically crippled as they are (thanks to the public school system) they haven't the faintest idea how to determine the cause. In public school you are taught that the "government" is your friend, you are taught that "rights come from "government" that it's okay to skip the two when you count to ten during the Bill of Rights. You are taught to bow down and lick the hand that "teaches" you, or else detention and a call to your parents will ensue. And if your parents take your side, then they are in trouble! You're taught that if it wasn't for "government", the big-bad-business man will come in and take over everything and children will work for two cents an hour in sweat shops. Or that "terrorists" (ever notice the smallest army is always called a "terrorist?") will be on every plane and every street corner.

"Government" isn't overly smart, but it isn't stupid. And when you combine it with the sycophantic, knavish, corrupt, biased mass media, it knows how to play its evil little games and play them damn well. Like a bad or dishonest girlfriend or boyfriend, it will mess with your head, and make you question your own sanity, if you question it. And only when one is willing to stop listening (no matter the consequence) does one regain control.

The easily distracted and or in-attentive either subscribe to or have acquiesced to the concept that without 'government' chaos would run the world. (All the while, ignoring, that a system of "government" willing or capable of ignoring its own rules, laws, and edicts, is by necessity and pragmatic definition, even more dangerous than any possible form of Anarchy.)

So some might claim, "There would be murders in the streets!" "You would walk around in fear that someone is going to hurt you all the time."

Well, I already do, but I don't fear the private criminal, I'm prepared and equipped to deal with that. But I'm not prepared or equipped to deal with the consequences of my ability to defend myself, because the "government" doesn't like me proving them unnecessary. I am more afraid of the cops than a common crook! Be honest, would you rather have a Blood or a cop behind you in traffic? I think I know the answer.

We dare you to not pay your "taxes." A group of men will show up at your door and if you refuse to comply they will then imprison you, or if you choose to fight, they will kill you. They will then try to make an example out of your action (though a just and patriotic act according to the principles of the founders of this country) by calling you a "right wing extremist" and attempt (most likely to great success) as a reason to violate even more of the rights given to us by our nature or creator, by explaining to the mindless drones (that most Americans have become) that guns and Glenn Beck are the real source of the problem that this country faces and that we need stricter gun laws (and also maybe that Glenn Beck and Limbaugh should be silenced as well?! Hell, on this one we might almost agree, only caveat, Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews have to shut the fuck up as well.)

The Founding Fathers specifically defined The Bill of Rights because they knew our "government" would become a force that threatened everything it purported to defend. Every time the "government" passes a law that violates the Constitution; post some mean shit on Facebook or become more self-sufficient (store some water, or canned food) or better yet buy a gun or more ammo. They are coming for us friends. How long before the "government" will decide how many children we have? What careers we all have to go into? What vehicles we drive? What breed of dog we can own? What to eat? When to sleep? How much to sleep? How much to eat? And don't forget that as far as they are concerned they own the sky and that's why you need a license to fly. Don't forget they own the water and that's why you have to pay for it. And if that isn't enough, don't forget that they own you, and that's why they think they can tax your family when you die.

If one doesn't believe in self-ownership than the statists and the people that talk about the "greater good" or "community" or "country" or any other collectivist catch-phrase endlessly, are correct and you and I are the problem... but I don't believe that... do you?

Cassandra Grissom has been a Libertarian since Clinton was in office. She currently lives in Las Vegas, NV where she spends her time drinking martini's playing with her two beagles and spending time with family and friends. [email protected]

Sean N. Gruber is a long time Libertarian. He's currently a Las Vegas resident, living with his three beagles (cause he's always one up on his sister) and family and posting lots of stuff on Facebook and testing the outer limits of liver tolerance in relation to Budweiser. He can be reached at [email protected]