[ExI] Government force and the constitution (was: more deaths...)

[Will Steinberg]

All this talk about the constitution's bearing on WMDs is pointless.  If
you have one, you will be attacked by the government.  Period.  If you're
amassing weapons--same deal.  Just look at what happened in Waco.

In the end it is all about power.  We have a social contract with the
government.  Each party has certain kinds of power.  The government's power
is derived from the people, but as it grows, it becomes self-sustaining.

One of the things the government can do with all the power (literally, as
in physics: work/time) amassed from us is stockpile a huge amount of
weapons and pay people to use them in enforcement.  If the government
decides you are violating the social contract--well, they make the rules.
No legal argument will fly in the case of someone stockpiling something
like anthrax or nuclear weapons.

I think a case could be made for not prosecuting someone stockpiling
weapons and conventional bombs, but that could be a tough case if you are
engaging in ANY kind of anti-government activity, even just protesting or
posting online.  The government has the power to get the best lawyers, do
the best investigative work on you and all your skeletons, and even
influence the media against you.

The constitution is more fragile than you may think.
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