June 9th, 2010
Not many of us have heard of the non-aggression principle, but it is fairly straightforward and self-explanatory. The non-aggression principle is a principle held by most, if not all Libertarians, and it is an essential element of contemporary Libertarian thought and doctrine. What, exactly, does non-aggression mean? Other than the obvious physical aspects of non-aggression, Libertarians believe in civil rights and liberties (non-aggression against individuals and their rights), Capitalism and economic rights (non-aggression against property), and a Jeffersonian foreign policy (friendship with all nations; non-aggression against other sovereign nations without due cause). These three beliefs come together to form the non-aggression principle, an essential pillar of Libertarian ideology.
No free society can exist if the liberties of its people are not vigilantly guarded and kept secure. When liberty falls, democracy falls with it, ushering in totalitarianism and thuggery. We as Libertarians support non-aggression against the rights of the people. No government truly representative of the people would ever attack it’s own constituents and strip them of their liberties. Doing so would be a betrayal of the people, the rightful employers of the government, and the backbone of this nation. Besides the moral and ethical argument for non-aggression, there are real economic benefits to it.
For example, if the disastrous War on Drugs were called off today, we would save untold millions, enabling the government to lower taxes and streamline itself, thus eliminating at least some corruption and waste. This, clearly, is a desirable situation. The people would be free to, in the privacy of their own homes, smoke marijuana, which many people do already in defiance of the law, and the American people would not be forced to spend millions, if not billions of dollars, to stop them. This would also end the paramilitary style SWAT drug raids on residential homes with small children inside, which are downright wrong and shameful.
We as Libertarians also believe in the sanctity and inviolability of private property and the economic rights of the people to enjoy a free market and take part in a Capitalist economy. Governmental aggression against the property of the people is tantamount to murdering them. Unjust actions that destroy the livelihood of the people should be treated as treason; actions such as eminent domain fit the description quite nicely. Government theft from the people, be it through confiscation or collectivization of property, or undue taxation, cannot and must not be tolerated. It is a crime against the people and is no better than physical violence against them. It is just as violent as murder, it is simply veiled. Such actions against the people cannot be tolerated. As citizens of a free society, they have a right to private property and to do with their property what they see fit.
Also, the non-aggression principle extends to our relations with foreign powers. We should not act militarily aggressive towards other nations unless we have express reason to do so: we are under attack or are on the verge of being attacked. America is a Republic, not an Empire. We do not wage bloody wars of conquest. Rather, we wage wars to defend our sacred Republic from foreign invaders. America, as Jefferson so eloquently stated, should “[have] commerce with all nations, alliance[s] with none”. America should be a friend to all nations, and not get involved in the age old bloody quarrels of the Old World. And for those who bemoan “isolationism”, they should read a history book. Isolationism (non-interventionism, really) worked well for America up until the Spanish-American War. For those who says that it does not work, history would show the opposite to be true.
The non-aggression principle would work well in government, and it did in this country for quite a long time, until the Progressives dismantled it. Let us bring it back to Washington, and restore peace and prosperity to this great nation of ours. America was never meant to be bogged down in imperial wars or to shred the Constitution and do away with the rights of it’s citizens. Let’s work together, young and old, to make America the “shining city upon a hill” once more. It can be done, and with your help, we can make that dream a reality. The non-aggression principle would be the perfect vehicle to bring us to such a reality.
-Alexander J. Massa, Columnist – Project Shining City (ProjectShiningCity.org)