Institutionalized Statism

Five police officers were murdered last night in Dallas. One of the suspects has confessed he wanted to hurt white officers and was not part of any group. Whether the suspect is a racist or cold-blooded murderer, likely both, his wicked deeds are the result of a perceived oppression against black people. While I would not deny there are racists in the justice system, I would deny there is any institutionalized racism therein. In any case, the problem is much greater than that. There is institutionalized Statism.

I would not counsel anyone to become a police officer, and I might encourage a brother or sister who is currently an officer to consider early retirement. This is not because I hate cops, on the contrary, I love them. I believe most are honorable men and women who desire to uphold justice and “enforce the law.” But the latter, I believe, is the very problem that leads to what we saw in Dallas last night. Dallas was inevitable.

There are too many laws…too many laws that police officers are required “to enforce.” Drugs, broken tail lights, seat belts, whatever, these unjust laws create an environment ripe for unjust detentions, arrests, prison sentences, etc. It creates scenarios ripe for aggression, resistance, and violence. And it creates volatile circumstances where a misunderstanding, miscommunication, or a wrong move can get you killed. The result is a life lost, a cop’s life changed forever, an enraged population, and an overwhelming State.

Police are a tool of the State to enforce unjust laws, and well-intentioned cops, whom I love, are put in precarious situations daily risking their own lives or being involved in a shooting they never wish had happened. Or, they are serving their community protecting the right to peaceful protest, then suddenly gun downed by vengeful, blood thirsty thugs.

But here we are. The moral fabric of society is no more, and the State only knows to get bigger, more powerful, and more domineering.

In the spiritual, the only answer is the Gospel; in the temporal, the only answer is liberty and secession from the State beast and all of its economic and civil tyranny.

I could go on, but I will stop here for you to read the following short article from Reformed Libertarian. To say it’s a sad day in America is the understatement of the century. We must pray, we must mourn, we must show mercy, we must preach the Gospel, and we must detest and resist oppression (the Statism of which I speak). My thoughts on Statism are evolving, but if you wish to catch a glimpse of where I’m at in the process, read this and spend some time on the RL website:

The Cycle of Decivilization

Also consider reading The Bastiat Collection, in particular the chapters on The Law, and Government.