| | "Justice being
taken away, then, what are kingdoms but great robberies? For what
are robberies themselves, but little kingdoms? The band itself
is made up of men; it is ruled by the authority of a prince, it
is knit together by the pact of the confederacy; the booty is
divided by the law agreed on. If, by the admittance of abandoned
men, this evil increases to such a degree that it holds places,
fixes abodes, takes possession of cities, and subdues peoples,
it assumes the more plainly the name of a kingdom, because the
reality is now manifestly conferred on it, not by the removal
of covetousness, but by the addition of impunity. Indeed, that
was an apt and true reply which was given to Alexander the Great
by a pirate who had been seized. For when that king had asked
the man what he meant by keeping hostile possession of the sea,
he answered with bold pride, "What thou meanest by seizing
the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called
a robber, whilst thou who dost it with a great fleet art styled a great
emperor."
--- Guess who is the brilliant author of the Christian libertarian manifesto which contains this gem?
St. Augustine. Believe it or not. Always knew I liked him 
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| | Posted 9/13/2006 7:44 AM - 52 Views - 6 eProps - 4 comments
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