Quote 136 of 497

To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed,
law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached
at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by
creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue
to do so.  To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every
transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured,
numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented,
forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished.  It is, under pretext of
public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be
placed under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized,
extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest
resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined,
vilified, harrassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound,
choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed,
sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided,
outraged, dishonored.  That is government; that is its justice; that
is its morality.
		-- P.J. Proudhon, cited in Robert Nozick, _Anarchy,
		   State and Utopia_, p. 11

Tags: creatures resistance wisdom virtue morality pretext firstword robertnozick pjproudhon anarchystateandutopia