Friday, February 18, 2022

St. Augustine's Excellent Question

In the middle of an essay reviewing Kopel's book on property and gun rights, Zmirak quotes Kopel quoting a line from St. Augustine which is pretty damned provocative in these times.....

...Like the Romans, Philo viewed all forms of theft as merely variations on a single type of attack on society: as assault on the right of ownership of private property. Thus a petty thief was no different in principle from a tyrant who stole the resources of his nation, or a nation that plundered another nation. Later, Christian theologian Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE) made a similar point, asking “If justice be taken away, what are governments but great bands of robbers?”...

It is becoming way too obvious that 'justice' is being taken away in Canada and by the US's "mandates," not to mention the even-more-obvious 'justice' problems in DC where some go directly to jail (no trial) for trespassing while others drunkenly wander around their Long Island estates after committing espionage on POTUS.

The Old Testament is filled with laments about the lack of 'justice.' 

Come to think of it, what was Rome other than a great band of robbers? 

Zmirak's essay is worth the read, as he has very uncomfortable questions for lots of 'great leaders.'

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