Good evening again, Ed!
Ed Fishcnage (aka 'Shadow') wrote to Connie Estell (aka:
Conster)...
Connie previously wrote:
> C> Don't you think Organized Crime would still raise it's vile head in a
> C> situation where they could legally made loads of drugs and control the
> C> market? I don't see why they wouldn't just because it was legalized....
To which, you replied:
> They'd have to compete against the big established pharmaceutical houses with
> big established production facilities and big established marketing machines
> in a product that those giants have been producing for decades for pennies a
> tablet. Wouldn't it make more sense for organized crime to compete with a
> higher-priced product such as Viagra? (I know that wouldn't be legal because
> it's patented, which is one reason the price is so high.)
And why organized crime seizes upon such opportunities, almost
always!
I guess that might be the strongest argument yet for suggesting
that the best way to hit organized crime and the violence it most
often inflicts upon our society, is to take away its advantage of
monopoly in underground production of the things consumers will
buy anyway.
I want to digress here for a while, as this obviously is a topic
that needs some introspection from a variety of various visions.
Again, I am not suggesting at all that consumers always make
'good' choices, but at least we would remove most of the
associated violence and terror that such activity always inflict
upon a society, and indeed a civilization.
I really didn't want to make such a statement as I am about to,
particularly on a Libertarian newsgroup, so I hope most of you
tonight might grant me some special license to do so anyway. If
I am out of line with the charter of this group, please let me
know. I may have wrote the charter, but everyone else here
signed along when they joined this group, in many cases, many,
many years ago.
This is the Christian season of Lent. It is on the church
calendar for a period of 40 days leading up to Easter. In our
local Lutheran Church we are using this opportunity to explore a
rather fascinating study of a book that is making its way across
America as we speak, called "The Purpose Drive Life", a 40 Day
regimen really of examining what the real purpose of our
individual lives really are. We are all turning into dust rather
quickly... and this study has already made a profound impact into
what I am doing right now hosting Liberty Northwest.
Admittedly, this book was not written by a Lutheran, so I have
some questions concerning theological integrity in certain
matters, but overall, it drives everyone to commit to examining
certain facets of what drives YOU. I guess, I have to admit,
that politics has always been one of the personal things that
obviously drives ME. You all know that, or should have by now
anyway, or I wouldn't be doing any of this!
So, what really drives me? Well, I am a Christian too, so I
won't really use this time to make this a political issue, as
this forum is not for that purpose anyway, and probably off
limits by my own design.
But one certain facet of this book hits home pretty hard, and for
others across this country reading it. What is really the
purpose of YOUR life?
Now, if I may, I want to make a quantum leap here. I want to
jump back again into the political arena. Each of us has to make
that choice, and we all deserve the liberty to make that choice.
The Libertarian Party as a whole too has to make choices, as we
do everytime we review our national platform.
Whether anyone signs on to a 'Purpose Driven Life' is entirely a
free choice, and should always remain a free choice. Many
Libertarians have different views on what purpose in life is the
'right choice' for themselves, and this Party supports that right
to make that choice, or at least it should. If we fail to
adequately make that a principled position, then we have failed
in our purpose also.
As I am writing this, I do hope that all of you can piece this
together in such a way that no one has any moral ground for using
force, that is, government force, to compel compliance on moral
values on the basis of an 'approved' set of moral values by one
segment of our society.
And, if you understood just the last paragraph above, then you'll
know where exactly I stand politically on where the Libertarian
Party today ought to take its strongest position.
Kindest regards,
Frank
--
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