[Ann Archy]

I follow NO ONE!

[tx_eggman]

When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong

Ecclesiastes 8:11

[eyeamok]

In the last two years, a number of celebrities have openly fantasized about doing physical harm to the president of the United States. Madonna, Kathy Griffin, Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro, Snoop Dogg and other stars have expressed their wishes that Donald Trump might be beaten up, blown up, cut up or shot up.

And every last one of them should have been Arrested, Booked, Perp Walked in Orange and Prosecuted, then Permanently be put on the No Fly list and Passport invalidated.

[Pearls Before Swine]

What makes citizens obey the law is not always their sterling character. Instead, fear of punishment -- the shame of arrest, fines or imprisonment -- more often makes us comply with laws.

IMHO we need many fewer laws, but those that remain should be enforced.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

This is really the old view of things.

To start with, “the law” is just a codified version of what can be called “the social sanction”, the social rules embraced by the people in a place. Importantly, it only exists when the people *enforce* it. When they as a group insist on it.

This leads to the first axiom: that the people *are* the police. The uniformed police are just a convenience, and for a limited number of roles. This becomes obvious when you have a well armed society, ordinary people enforcing the law.

Parts of the social sanction can change, other parts are very stable.

A problem begins when frivolous and useless laws are passed apart from the social sanction. Non-compliance with or even breaking such laws does not create anarchy or chaos, simply because the laws were foolish and unneeded; no matter how some politician stamps his feet and insists they are essential.

Even before the United States, when the colonies were still under the Crown, there were plenty of frivolous and vindictive laws and taxes, which colonials dutifully ignored. Americans were masterful smugglers and evaders. Yet no anarchy came to be.

Today, US law is hopelessly bloated and inefficient, despite vigorous whittling by President Trump. We can but hope the midterms change congress enough to equip him with a chainsaw instead of a mere axe.

[SENTINEL]

Soros continues to steal God’s air.