Mass. Libertarians Supporting ‘Gay Marriage’

December 7, 2001

Kamal Jain has responded to the two online articles online yesterday with the following: 

“A key point missing in your article was that Libertarians DO have a clear position on marriage: It's no one's business but that of those involved. No government or other party has any right to condone or condemn.

“The connection between marriage laws and income taxation is that both give government the power to perform social engineering. When the government has any power, it is beyond any person's or group's control. It is naive to think that just because those in power agree with you today that they always will, or that who is in power will remain the same. The fact that some states have instituted civil unions, gay marriages, etc. is proof of that.

“If laws are passed today that are amenable to some and offensive to others, the tables can turn at any time, and eventually will. Codifying something into a constitution as opposed to a general law only changes the rate of change -- sometimes faster and sometimes slower -- but does not prevent
change.

“Remember well the words of President George Washington: ‘Government is not reason, it is not eloquence - it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.’”

As to Marijuana

“As to the matter of marijuana, it should be re-legalized, as should all drugs. That is not a sophism. When America was conceived in Liberty, all drugs were legal. In 1920, the 18th Amendment was passed, in hopes that the "evils of alcohol" be routed from our nation. Almost immediately all manner
of crime, especially violent crime, skyrocketed. Organized crime and gang warfare as we know it was born in those days. In 1933 the 21st Amendment was passed, which repealed the 18th. Alcohol prohibition was ended.

“In retrospect, some people referred to Prohibition as a "noble experiment", but the unintended (though fully predictable) consequences were dire. Thousands were killed and injured. Many were poisoned by tainted liquor. People could not readily seek treatment for addiction because alcohol was illegal and they might be jailed rather than helped.

“The War on Drugs has ignored the unalterable fact that prohibition does not -- can not -- work. In fact, all laws against consensual "crimes" ignore that fact.  

“Laws that attempt to prohibit or regulate gun ownership (in utter violation of the 2nd Amendment, by the way) will not end gun ownership, they will put more people in danger because they will go without protection or will seek to purchase unsafe guns from unsafe sources.  

“Laws that attempt to prohibit prostitution will not end prostitution, they will push it into the dark recesses of society where anything can happen and no one can legally do anything about it. You name the victimless "crime", it cannot be stopped...only made worse. That's because they are not crimes.

“I do not consider myself a religious scholar, but I do believe that every major religion teaches the importance of free will, and that only God may judge people. That is why even though most religions paint God as omnipotent, some people still do things that are morally wrong. Individuals must choose their path in life, and accept the consequences of their actions. It does not matter if you believe in God or not -- there are those who do, and they accept that God will judge people when the time comes.

“If you look, you will find a philosophical consistency to Libertarianism. Individuals are self-sovereign, and are born with inalienable rights to their lives, liberty, and property. Consenting adults should be free to do what they want with other consenting adults, as long as no one else is
harmed or coerced. 

Editor’s Comment: We agree perfectly. The only problem is determining when someone else has been “harmed or coerced.” When making that determination, we believe one must always include children.