Certainly the sellers are not your everyday shopkeeper or mostly not. It would be a bit difficult to cast these people as heroes of free enterprise, although taking the fact that most of the laws against their activities are unjust and unnecessary perhaps they do have a claim. Those who resist oppression have to be tougher than the general community, and as the law of subservient society will not enforce contracts or protect their rights they tend to have standards outside the mores of that society.

These people only exist because of the law, not in spite of it. Who is worse after all, the silly kid who smokes a joint, or the private prison owners referred to in the above video who hire lobbyists to push for three strike laws.

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1604

“The indictment of one of the ring members says he traveled to Lebanon three years ago and delivered a $3,500 payment to a Hezbollah military commander.

If not for taxaholic bureaucrats, this suspected terrorist operation wouldn’t have gotten off the ground. States addicted to nicotine-stained revenue are all too happy to participate in the sanctimonious charade of condemning the vice while pocketing a chunk of the profits. But those who advocate punitive tobacco taxes to reduce smoking and “protect kids” continue to ignore the connection between sin taxes and illegal sales. Every state along the East Coast that has slapped astronomical and regressive taxes on tobacco has been invaded by increasingly savvy and organized smugglers. “

A story was done on how the tax makes farmers dirt poor and encourages murder, by one of Australia’s flagship Current Affairs programmes:

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/transcript_1795.asp

ADAM SHAND: “The stakes in this game are high. To the grower, a 100kg bail of tobacco is worth a maximum of $850. With government excise added, the value skyrockets to $29,000. A farmer like Tony Bonacci, on 10 hectares, puts $10 million into government coffers each year. In 2004, he made a loss on his crop. He says he doesn’t do chop chop, but he has certainly thought about it.”

What can we expect from repeal of prohibition from drugs? Safer drugs and slitting the throat of a large criminal element in Australia. We would also remove one of the worst outcomes of prohibition which makes it easier for an underage kid to buy pot than it is to buy booze.

What about ending prohibition of guns for protection in Australia? It’s a little harder to say because we don’t have a culture of guns here. If we take into account the very obvious fact that more guns in law abiding citizens hands is a good thing and less guns in criminal hands is a bad thing then ending prohibition is the best option for this country.

Michael J. McFadden
Author of “Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains”
http://encyclopedia.smokersclub.com/130.html

I acknowledge a correlation is not the same as an explanation. Nonetheless, I am convinced there is a cause and effect relationship. Most people are not criminals, therefore by having guns they can use them to reduce the activities of criminals. Without guns, they find it more difficult.

I sure hope this ICAP initiative makes a difference. The ‘regulate first and regulate some more’ mentality is depressing.