Cops will take as much freedom as you give them and often they will attempt more than they have been granted. Never give cops an inch they are not legally entitled to. In democracies, laws exist to grant people freedom from the power of the state, not to grant the state freedom from the power of the people. Any laws that grant cops protection from the people are laws of a tyranny. We get only the protections of the state that our rights make possible and no more. Trading freedom for security gets us neither.
In democracies, laws exist to grant people freedom from the power of the state, not to grant the state freedom from the power of the people. Any laws that grant cops protection from the people are laws of a tyranny. We get only the protections of the state that our rights make possible and no more. Trading freedom for security gets us neither.
Correction: In democracies, laws exist to grant power to the state, not to grant people freedom from the state. For example, I’m guessing that in your nearest democracy, there’s probably not a law granting you the freedom to stand still for more than a minute or lie down for more than a minute. The people’s freedom is a default.
Now, perhaps what you were thinking of was that some laws have exceptions (that might be phrased as affirmative defenses). But those aren’t granting freedom to the people, they are restricting law enforcement. It’s like a “tax refund” — the government isn’t giving you their money, it’s returning your own money.
Cops will take as much freedom as you give them and often they will attempt more than they have been granted. Never give cops an inch they are not legally entitled to. In democracies, laws exist to grant people freedom from the power of the state, not to grant the state freedom from the power of the people. Any laws that grant cops protection from the people are laws of a tyranny. We get only the protections of the state that our rights make possible and no more. Trading freedom for security gets us neither.
Correction: In democracies, laws exist to grant power to the state, not to grant people freedom from the state. For example, I’m guessing that in your nearest democracy, there’s probably not a law granting you the freedom to stand still for more than a minute or lie down for more than a minute. The people’s freedom is a default.
Now, perhaps what you were thinking of was that some laws have exceptions (that might be phrased as affirmative defenses). But those aren’t granting freedom to the people, they are restricting law enforcement. It’s like a “tax refund” — the government isn’t giving you their money, it’s returning your own money.
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