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 THE LIBERTARIAN ENTERPRISE Number 836, August 30, 2015 There Ain't No Such Thing As Social Justice
Attribute to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise I was in sixth grade when I first saw right wing materials, pamphlets, booklets, etc., in the library. Everything from the John Birch Society (which wasn't well thought of in those days) to writings by and about George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party. I wasn't particularly impressed, but one thing struck me. Most of them, for all that they claimed to admire and adhere to American values, believed those values were fragile. One foreigner spoils the population of hundreds of millions. One foreign word spoils the language. One alien idea spoils the creed. One drop of unwanted blood spoils the line. Fragile. Frankly, if I had a .45 automatic that was that fragile I wouldn't bother trading it off, I'd throw it in a lake, somewhere. That, however, seems to be the source of plenty of xenophobia—lack of faith or confidence in your own society to survive the most minute dilution. Fact is, however, that there are no shortcuts. Each new cultural element must be evaluated and debated on its own merit, and individual opinions will vary. Isn't that what freedom's all about? As a lifelong atheist, I'm just as worried that newcomers to America might be Roman Catholic as Moslems. But maybe that's just me. Homo Erectus, from whom modern human beings are descended, was a thoroughly remarkable fellow. Shortly after he had evolved, his species had explored practically all of the world that could be reached by land, from Africa, where he began, into Europe, and across to Asia and Southeast Asia. His remains are found practically everywhere. We have no idea what drove him to do this; he himself might have said he was simply following the game herds, or looking for asparagus, but for some reason, he couldn't resist trying to find out what was on the other side of the mountain. And throughout subsequent history, nothing, not rivers, nor mountains, nor deserts, nor oceans could stop him or his descendants from eventually going wherever they wanted to go. I heard some historical ignoramus (Mark somebody, filling in for Limbsaugh) the other day touting the Great Wall of China—which utterly failed to keep the Mongols out—and Hadrian"s Wall—which failed to keep the barbarian Scots out—as a proper to deal with such unwanted visitors; in the long run, they were flopperoos, as was the Berlin Wall (which failed to keep freedom-seekers in) and as Trump's Wall will inevitably prove to be, even if the Mexicans pay for it. Robert Frost could tell you why. The simple, unavoidable, inescapable ethical fact is that people have always wandered, even to the Moon. Theirs is a fundamental right—barring private property—to go anywhere they like on the face of the planet, and under the Zero Aggression Principle, nobody has a right to stop them. Which explains why the most corrupt xenophobic former libertarians are urging abandonment of the Zero Aggression Principle, the most profound and useful philosophical principle ever devised. How low can you go? What was that old Biblical story about giving up your birthright for a "mess of pottage"—or just another cheesy excuse to beat people up and kill them? There are no words for the contempt I feel regarding this. Apparently some individuals have never learned that principles are not for when it's easy to adhere to them, but for when it's especially hard. The ability to do so is called integrity. Make no mistake, as a consistent advocate of freedom, I have nothing against immigration, legal or illegal. I do oppose importing hordes of potential voters to perpetuate collectivism in office, or deliberately exporting violent criminals to a neighboring country, and if I could think of some easy way to discriminate, I would report it here. But look—and remember what I said about the right wing sense of inferiority: who says that all immigrants are automatically leftists? Aren't they escaping leftist regimes and their dreadful economic effects? At least half a dozen times, I have dared conservatives in "print" to establish and generously fund a foundation, dedicated to teaching immigrants why America is more prosperous and why it offers greater opportunity than whatever Third World pesthole they have fled from: individual liberty. This foundation should not only produce the usual foundation stuff—printed material, posters, etc., but it should buy Spanish-language radio stations in media markets like California and Texas. The answer I got from conservatives? Deafening silence. I have urged a policy under which any Mexican state that adopts the U.S. Bill of RIghts by a 2/3 vote (more than any current state has ever done) be offered American statehood. It won't ever happen, but it will start btushfires the Mexican government—which is deliberately driving a great deal of illegal immigration—will be decades putting out. Answer from conservatives? Deafening silence. Finally, all American welfare programs—including the recognition of "anchor babies"—must come to an end. That will solve many more problems than simply that of immigration. Free the economy—eliminate all taxes and regulations, as real libertarians have long advocated—and there will be jobs aplenty for everyone. But as usual, the spineless, gutless, brainless conservatives are terrified to make a single move. There are more testicles to be found in a troop of girl scouts. Maybe that's who we should elect to Congress.I like a woman in uniform. My position on immigration has been years in the making, and formed despite massive political battering (not to mention cheap and ill-considered "witticisms") from the more xenophobic individuals I know. It is based on my understanding of anthropology and history and human nature, not emotion or mere trendy whim. One tiny sample: there would be no English language—that magnificent monument to the massive power of the human mind—if it weren't for medieval "illegal immigration". Or would you rather be reading this in Pictish or Jutish? Or perhaps the original Neanderthal?
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