Liberal Views, Black Victims
By Walter E. Williams
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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So here’s the question: Should black people accept government’s dereliction of its first basic function, that of providing protection? My answer is no. One of our basic rights is the right to defend oneself against predators. If the government can’t or won’t protect people, people have a right to protect themselves.
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Even if the gooferment could or would protect people, the people have the right to defend themselves.
Interesting. I’ve been quibbling with the great Professor more and more.
I think the formulation of a “right” is interesting process.
(1) To own myself, I acknowledge that all men own themselves.
(2) Thus, everyone owns their past and their future. (If I own myself but not my past and / or my future, then what do I own?)
(3) Rights are basically negatives. Right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
(4) If one man’s rights are infringed, everyone’s rights are infringed. (alone we are weak; together we are dominant.)
(5) I have rights that are “inalienable”. You can’t take them; I can’t give them away.
(6) I can fail to fight for my rights and you can infringe upon them.
(7) If you delegate, that representative can exercise no more rights than you had to delegate.
So, rights are recognized as inalienable but must be defended to “have” them.
Heck, yes, like Jack Nicolson said in A Few Good Men:
Col. Jessep: Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.
I too don’t care what the gooferment thinks it’s entitled to. I don’t care what anyone thinks they are entitled too. I especially don’t care what some gang in fancy suits thinks they are entitled to.
I suggest that when push comes to shove over rights, we’ll both have to pick up a rifle and defend each other’s rights. Or “they” will pick us off one by one.
I would say that victims of crime have ONLY themselves to blame for not defending their rights. I’ll stand with them.
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Reinke Faces Life 