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Proper Legislative Functions
It is not true that the legislator
has absolute power over our persons and property. The existence
of persons and property preceded the existence of the legislator,
and his function is only to guarantee their safety.
It is not true that the function of
law is to regulate our consciences, our ideas, our wills, our
education, our opinions, our work, our trade, our talents, or our
pleasures. The function of law is to protect the free exercise of
these rights, and to prevent any person from interfering with the
free exercise of these same rights by any other person.
Since law necessarily requires the
support of force, its lawful domain is only in the areas where
the use of force is necessary. This is justice.
Every individual has the right to
use force for lawful self-defense. It is for this reason that the
collective force—which is only the organized combination of
the individual forces—may lawfully be used for the same
purpose; and it cannot be used legitimately for any other
purpose.
Law is solely the organization of
the individual right of self-defense which existed before law was
formalized. Law is justice.
Clark Simmons, Webmaster
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