♦ nivek ♦ Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 "No attempt or pretence, that was ever carried into practical operationamongst civilized men -- unless possibly the pretence of a “DivineRight,” on the part of some, to govern and enslave others -- embodiedso much of shameless absurdity, falsehood, impudence, robbery,usurpation, tyranny, and villany of every kind, as the attempt orpretence of establishing a government by consent, and getting theactual consent of only so many as may be necessary to keep the rest insubjection by force. Such a government is a mere conspiracy of thestrong against the weak. It no more rests on consent than does theworst government on earth."-- Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) Political theorist, activist, abolitionist Source: No Treason. No. II The Constitution, (Boston: Published by the Author, 1867) http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Lysander.Spooner.Quote.4E9D "The strong are always free by virtue of their superior strength. Solong as government is a mere contest as to which of two parties shallrule the other, the weaker must always succumb. And whether the contestbe carried on with ballots or bullets, the principle is the same; forunder the theory of government now prevailing, the ballot eithersignifies a bullet, or it signifies nothing. And no one canconsistently use a ballot, unless he intends to use a bullet, if thelatter should be needed to insure submission to the former." -- Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) Political theorist, activist, abolitionist Source: No Treason. No. II The Constitution, (Boston: Published by the Author, 1867) http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Lysander.Spooner.Quote.FE71 "A government that can at pleasure accuse, shoot, and hang men, astraitors, for the one general offence of refusing to surrenderthemselves and their property unreservedly to its arbitrary will, canpractice any and all special and particular oppressions it pleases. Theresult -- and a natural one -- has been that we have had governments,State and national, devoted to nearly every grade and species of crimethat governments have ever practised upon their victims; and thesecrimes have culminated in a war that has cost a million of lives; a warcarried on, upon one side, for chattel slavery, and on the other forpolitical slavery; upon neither for liberty, justice, or truth. Andthese crimes have been committed, and this war waged, by men, and thedescendants of men, who, less than a hundred years ago, said that allmen were equal, and could owe neither service to individuals, norallegiance to governments, except with their own consent." -- Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) Political theorist, activist, abolitionist Source: No Treason. No. II The Constitution, (Boston: Published by the Author, 1867) http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Lysander.Spooner.Quote.5AFE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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