-Caveat Lector-
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001
From: "M.A. Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Day That Anarchy Came To Lithia Springs
by Rob Moody
Government is at best but an expedient; but
most governments are usually, and all
governments are sometimes, inexpedient.
The objections which have been brought against
a standing army, and they are many and weighty,
and deserve to prevail, may also at last be
brought against a standing government.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Something remarkable happened last week in Lithia Springs,
a town of 2,072 just west of Atlanta: The city council
held its last meeting before dissolving the city
government. In March, residents voted overwhelmingly to
dissolve the town. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
"The referendum that ended the town was part of the settlement
in a lawsuit brought by city residents charging the city
should be dissolved because it didn't deliver enough services
to justify its existence under state law. [If you live in a
small town in Georgia and have some time on your hands,
this sounds like a tremendous opportunity to strike a blow
for liberty. And for those of you working in police anti-gang
units, note how Lithia Springs got rid of its gang.]
Incorporated in 1882, Lithia Springs was dissolved the
first time in 1933. Since reincorporating in 1994, it has
had five mayors and one scandal: Former Mayor Rosa Mary
Johnson in 1998 pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge
for using city money to buy personal items." No surprise
there, as criminals are attracted to gangs.
What is a surprise (at least for most people) is that
although anarchy now reigns in Lithia Springs, chaos does
not. My dictionary defines anarchy as "Absence of any form
of political authority," while chaos is defined as "A state
or place of total confusion or disorder." I can't count
the number of times I've heard some Republican law-and-order
type reject a proposal to expand the sphere of liberty by
saying, "But then we'd have anarchy," when what they mean
to say is, "But then we'd have chaos." The word anarchy
has gotten a bad rap, not only by being substituted for
chaos, but by its use by left-wing anarchists, who I
believe actually want the opposite of anarchy. What do most
people think of when they hear the word anarchy? I think of
some guy throwing a bomb, or chaos in the streets. As
libertarians, we need to reclaim and rehabilitate that
word before it becomes unusable.
Even in its death throes, the Lithia Springs City Council
tried to squander the taxpayers' money. As one of their last
official acts, council members tried to give $26,000 to a youth
baseball organization and $28,000 to the local fire station,
but the city attorney told them that such donations were
illegal. And rather than return the money that it had
confiscated from residents, the council turned over the
city government's assets ($326,000 in cash, a Ford Explorer
and office furniture) to the Douglas County government,
its partner in crime.
According to the AJC, "Councilman Joe Meekes expressed
disappointment, saying that the town council could have
improved life there had it a few more years." If only they had
more time, if only they had more money, if only they had the
right people, if only they could crack a few more skulls.
Meekes said, "It's all over now but the crying. I'm not
going to cry but I feel sorry for the community." Hey Joe,
do us all a big favor and crawl back under the statist rock
you crawled out from.
As we hurtle downhill on this toboggan ride to tyranny,
it's heartening to hear about a victory for liberty,
however small it may be. One down, ten thousand more to go.
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