2.  RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY
    by L. Neil Smith 
    Exclusive to TLE    http://www.webleyweb.com/tle/>     Issue 221

The news last week, to quote Walter Cronkite, was "filled with those
events that alter and illuminate our times". And seldom have times
more badly needed altering -- although I'm not sure how much more
illumination I can stand.

One item being discussed wherever those concerned with the Bill of Rights
congregate, was a White House statement that the President supports renewal
of unconstitutional gun laws passed by the Clinton Administration --
although it couldn't have happened without the enthusiastic assistance of
Republicans like "Brady Bill Bob" Dole -- that were otherwise
supposed to "sunset" sometime in 2004.

Unfortunately, this statement failed to come as much of a surprise to those
acquainted, over the past two or three decades, with the GOP's increasingly
despicable record regarding issues of self-defense in general, and in
particular the unalienable, Constitutional, civil, individual, and human
right of every man, woman, and responsible child to obtain, own, and carry,
openly or concealed, any weapon -- rifle, shotgun, handgun, machinegun,
_anything_ -- any time, any place, without asking anyone's permission.

In the dishonorable tradition of George Dukmejian and Pete Wilson, the GOP
has now been thoroughly "Californicated". With the notable
exception of Congressman Ron Paul, if there's one Republican left who, as
T.D. Melrose observed, wouldn't "rather see a woman raped in an alley
and strangled with her own pantyhose than see her with a gun in her
hand", he's keeping his mouth shut for fear of being
"disappeared" by the neocon Nazis running his party.

Another disturbing news item last week concerned a federal judge who's
decided that your right to freedom of expression extends only as far as he
approves of what you have to say. To be specific, he ordered tax resistor
Irwin Schiff to stop lecturing, writing, publishing, and distributing his
books which argue that nobody has a legal obligation to pay income taxes.
Until now, I'd seen Irwin as an amiable propellor beanie type (he's owed me
a books for several years, although I never pressed it), but this judge has
made me start wondering why -- if the guy is a couple rounds short of a
reload -- it's necessary to gag him.

There's a precedent. In the 50s, Wilhelm Reich was teaching and writing
about his theory that living things use the Force. He called it
"Orgone" and said it could be conserved by sitting in a metal
box, and even absorbed from plants you took in the box with you. Despite
the limits supposedly imposed on government by the First Amendment, Reich's
lectures were forcibly broken up by the FDA, attendees shaken down,
harrassed, and threatened, and Reich's books piled in the street and burned
-- your tax dollars at work. Reich was sent to
prison, where he died. That noise you hear in the background is Tom
Jefferson doing about 4800 RPM in his grave.

But once again, I've digressed. Neither of these stories may seem like a
big deal in these times of Homeland Security, the USA Petrocrat Act, and
the War on Anyone Who Has Anything We Want. Opinions vary, which is the
whole point to being free. But when they were discussed by folks I
communicate with every day on the Smith2004 list, I said both of them could
be dealt with, if people were willing to use their imaginations and do a
little hard work.

Let's start with the wholesale violation of Irwin Schiff's First Amendment
rights, because it's the more difficult of the two problems. This arrogant,
ignorant, evil judge is hardly an aberration. From bottom to top, the
American judiciary system -- municipal, county, state, and federal -- is
hopelessly corrupt. As I've said on occasion, what it needs is to be
cleaned out with flamethrowers and firehoses.

For decades, American judges have been inventing "rights" for
parasites, at our involuntary expense, while weasel-wording our real
liberties away -- starting with the 1000-year-old right and duty of a jury
to evaluate the law, as well as the facts of a case. By referring to the
Bill of Rights as a "living" document -- meaning they're free to
bend it to their will whenever and however it advances the cause of
socialism -- they've murdered it by inches.

More and more it's plain that judges see themselves as part of the
prosecutorial team, rather than the neutral referees they're supposed to
be. They've conspired with prosecutors to take the courtroom away from
juries, contrary to the designs of the Founding Fathers. Through the
process of "voir dire", they select only juries likely to
convict, no matter the facts of the case or the principals at stake.
They've even seized the power to forbid defendants and their attorneys from
making arguments or bringing up facts that might prove embarrassing or
inconvenient to the prosecution. Simply mention jury nullification or the
Constitution and you'll wind up in a cell for contempt.

Most Americans don't know what a mess their courts have been made into.
Products of government childhood indoctrination centers, they work hard all
day. They have to: half of what they make is stolen from them, to be used
in the brutal suppression of their rights. They come home to watch TV
programs that make heroes of lawyers, cops, and judges. Or that are
designed -- Jerry Springer comes to mind, but there are dozens more like
him -- to make them and their neighbors look like mutants, deviants, and
cretins who need to be watched and controlled -- if not jailed or simply
shot outright.

Acquainting people with the facts will take lots of time, skull-sweat. and
elbow grease. But I know, at least, where to begin -- with a cartoon.

I don't know where the term "kangaroo court" came from, but I
know the kangaroos aren't seated in the jury box, but on the bench. So what
we need is a logo -- a kangaroo wearing judge's robes and, I think, a white
judge's wig, just to make it plain what we oppose: the kind of blatant
statism upheld by English judges before the Revolution.

The kangaroo judge should look funny -- the only alternative to going
insane is laughing -- and dopey, like the kangaroo that gives Sylvester and
his son so much grief in the Warner Brothers cartoons. People will think
he's cute. Occasionally, however, his eyes should grow shifty, and we'll be
able to glimpse the malice lurking within.

The first thing to do with the kangaroo is build him a website, to collect
and disseminate stories of judicial atrocities like the Schiff case. It
will publish relevant cartoons, caricatures, and commentary. It will seek
sponsors -- defense attorneys, perhaps, or bail bondsmen -- and be as
lavishly produced and well-publicized as possible. It will broadcast names,
biographies, and pictures. Each year, amid a flurry of press releases
similar in tone to the Darwin Award, it will offer a little statue of the
kangaroo in his robes and
wig to whatever judge has most greatly exceeded our cynical expectations.

For the sake of prudence, the site will be mirrored in Canada, Australia
(home of the kangaroo), and anyplace else that will make shutting it down
difficult. The place to start is with a contest, I think, for the design of
the logo, the lucky and talented winner to be selected by a panel of
distinguished libertarian cartoonists.

The enemies of liberty are cowards and skulkers, moral cockroaches who shun
the harsh light of the truth. They're also compromisers. Shine the light on
them long enough, and changes will made.

* * *

Whenever the unutterable scum of either party blat loudest about defending
America -- from enemies they made for us -- they begin, if they can, by
stripping Americans of their weapons. Dixie Chick Natalie Mains may regret
saying she's ashamed that George Bush is a Texan (he isn't really, of
course, any more than his carpetbagger father -- and here I was, about to
buy another couple of albums until she caved in); frankly, I'm ashamed he
belongs to the same species I do.

The man is supposed to be popular right now, according to polls I don't
have much confidence in. Among all my friends and acquaintances, I don't
know of more than three or four -- only one was offended recently when I
said that Silverfoot Junior has the brains of a baked potato -- who respect
the man or agree with anything he's doing.

Still, it isn't just true that "only Nixon could go to China",
but -- in a nation that successfully resisted eight long, terrible years of
Waco Willie and his deadly wife Polly Pot -- only the Republicans could
have shredded and incinerated what pitiful tatters were left of the Bill of
Rights. It's important that they be stopped and the process reversed.
Here's the way to begin:

The Republicans' big nightmare, just now, is that their Glorious Leader
will follow in his fatuous father's footsteps and lose the edge he's
supposedly garnered before it can be used to reelect him. Given their
historic stupidity and clumsiness, the greater their fear, the greater the
likelihood that's exactly what will happen.

Imagine a high quality, non-fading vinyl bumper sticker that, in large,
colorful, easy-to-read lettering, simply says ...

            NEXT TIME, I'M VOTING LIBERTARIAN

Imagine a similar sticker, printed backwards, so you can place it on your
front bumper, to be read by those in front of you in their rear-view
mirrors.

Imagine stickers like that on only one percent -- that portion of the vote
libertarians can usually rely on -- of the cars on the road. Imagine adding
non-libertarians -- liberals and genuine conservatives -- angry about the
war or the gun bills or the state of the economy.

Now imagine a higher percentage -- three, five, ten -- those we can
persuade to "make the threat that keeps on threatening"
regardless of their actual intentions or political affiliations. Imagine
the panicky and hysterical reaction in the Republican inner sanctum as they
anticipate a humiliating defeat by some clone of Michael Dukakis because
libertarians took away their margin.

Above all, don't be persuaded that it's worse to be ruled by Democrats than
Republicans. George Bush has proven that it isn't.

When they try to outlaw bumper stickers -- "It's unsafe to read those
things when you're driving, and besides, they contribute to road
rage!" -- we'll know we've won this round. Whatever blustering they do
about it, things are about to change for the better.

As I said, it'll be lots of hard work, and there are no shortcuts, no
miracles. This will only be the beginning. Are we up to it? I suppose
you'll let me know. Remember, we've got kids and grandkids who have to grow
up and live in the world we leave them. And even if you're an atheist,
resistance to tyranny is obedience to something.

I prefer to call it "natural law".
- - -

Three-time Prometheus Award-winner L. Neil Smith is the author of 23 books,
including _The American Zone_, _Forge of the Elders_, _Pallas_, _The
Probability Broach_, _Hope_ (with Aaron Zelman), and his collection of
articles and speeches, _Lever Action_, all of which may be purchased
through his website "The Webley Page" at
http://www.lneilsmith.com>. Autographed copies may be had from the
author at lneil{at}lneilsmith.com.
- - -

L. Neil Smith writes regular columns for _The Libertarian Enterprise_
, _Sierra Times_ ,
and for _Rational Review_ .

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