From: "E. ALLEN SMITH" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 06:03:34 +0800
To: ravage@ssz.com
Subject: Re: Reasons in support of crypto-anarchy WAS Re: Why am I (fwd)
Message-ID: <01I0WS0EMTCWA0UVEU@mbcl.rutgers.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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From:	IN%"ravage@ssz.com"  "Jim Choate"  6-FEB-1996 22:50:35.24

>What is described is not self-defence by any stretch of the imagination. It
is a pre-meditated act which causes any plea of self-defence to fail.
------------------
	If someone has comitted serious enough violations of rights in the
past, then I would call killing that person justified. First, it prevents any
future violations of rights by that person. Second, it serves to discourage
people if they know they can get killed if they do so. (I realize that
capital punishment by governments doesn't appear to do much good, but the
people in question- government agents, etcetera- are generally a bit different
than the gang members who so regularly ignore prison sentences and the death
penalty.) Third, and getting away from the self-defense argument, it is
justice. The job of a government, if it has one, is to defend individual
liberties. It is given privileges in order to enforce that. The abuse of such
privileges should be met by death. (Yes, I would be in favor of changing
current laws to remove sovereign immunity and institute a death penalty for
governmental rights violations. Unfortunately, among the people subject to such
a law are the ones making the laws.)
------------------------

>How many people have to decide that another should be killed for it to be
ethical? In short, how many people does it take to decide it is a legitimate
act to take your own life?
----------------------
	Why should "how many people" make a difference? If I violate someone's
rights enough to justify such a course of action, then I should be dead even if
everyone except the victim is cheering. Yes, I realize that Jim Bell's system
does depend on a group of people. But so, in the end, do all such systems-
whether they call themselves governments or anarcho-capitalist societies. If
the Christian Coalition got too many people with guns in the latter, they'd
rule.
	Any further discussion would appear to belong in private email; I
suspect that Jim Bell would appreciate a cc.
	-Allen