Anarcho-Capitalist Gets Mugged
"The old quip was that a neoconservative was a liberal who had been mugged. Well, let me tell you about my night on Monday..." Thus begins this scary post by Gene Callahan, author of Economics for Real People and current graduate student at the London School of Economics. Gene, this blog sends sympathy and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Comments (23)
I hope that's the last time Mr. Callahan is so unfortunate. However, I suspect most Londoners would have walked briskly away rather than engage in conversation!
Considering the encounter in a parallel universe where both the muggers and potential mugee had guns, several things could have happened, and not necessarily better, but your average oppurtunist would think twice before risking a potential fatal injury. I'm not sure whether guns are necessarily going to be of use in an actual encounter, but the general deterrent is much more important. In the UK there is very little potential downside to the average mugging. The police can't be everywhere and can rarely actually apprehend or charge petty thugs. It's logically impossible in a practical sense.
Published: February 9, 2005 11:36 AM
I feel bad about what happened to Gene Callahan. This goes to show you that you cannot presume to treat these worthless punks as if they are actual human beings worthy of respect, and capable of discourse.
In an ideal world, when (if) they're caught, they'd be severely beaten and forced to compensate Gene Callahan. In our current world, if they're caught, Gene Callahan gets to pay taxes to keep them in jail.
Published: February 9, 2005 1:57 PM
..In an ideal world, when (if) they're caught, they'd be severely beaten and forced to compensate Gene Callahan..
and if they refuse to compensate? what could you do that wouldn't end up being a cost to you anyway?
Published: February 9, 2005 2:42 PM
An armed society is a polite society... need to do a cost benefit analysis of packing heat and getting caught vs. getting your head bashed in. But then this is the UK where they threw a farmer in the joint for blasting a burglar coming through his window. Give John Lott's book to your local MP, not that it will do much good. Glad i turned in all my guns at the last state sponsored 'buy back' for grocery vouchers.... how can somebody 'buy back' something that never belonged to them ?
Sorry about what you went through, too bad there wasnt a good samaritan along a bit sooner.
Published: February 9, 2005 2:59 PM
"and if they refuse to compensate? what could you do that wouldn't end up being a cost to you anyway?"
Scott,
Do you think that we should let them go about hurting others, stealing and causing fear with no recourse due society?? Sheesh
Published: February 9, 2005 3:43 PM
"'..In an ideal world, when (if) they're caught, they'd be severely beaten and forced to compensate Gene Callahan..'
"and if they refuse to compensate? what could you do that wouldn't end up being a cost to you anyway?"
In an ideal world, police services would be private. You'd probably buy them from an insurance company, who would compensate you if you were mugged and then attempt to recover their costs from the mugger and his insurance company (if he had one).
Hoppe discusses this potential model for private law in his book "Democracy: The God that Failed". It's well worth a look.
Best wishes to Mr. Callahan.
Published: February 9, 2005 3:48 PM
In an ideal world, Gene would have shot the bastards. The world would be better off without them.
Sorry, to here of this unfortunate incident, Gene. The one time I was in the UK I narrowly avoided a mugging, I have never had such an encounter in the US. I hope you can avoid such problems in the future.
Published: February 9, 2005 5:12 PM
I agree with Pete Canning on an ideal situation (actually, the really ideal situation is that these thugs don't attack Gene in the first place). Given that they do, in an ancap world, Gene's protection insurance agency would compensate him, and attempt to find/punish he criminal.
Published: February 9, 2005 7:54 PM
of course not, they should go to jail, but it's going to cost you one way or another.
Published: February 9, 2005 10:31 PM
In an ideal world, people would live in contiguous private estates - these thugs wouldn't be able to set foot on private property. -- By the way, for what it's worth, Hayek recommended in the CoL that municipal govts be replaced by private 'super-landlords' - to 'internalise' all those 'externalities' that govts are supposed (ha) to deal with.
Published: February 9, 2005 11:43 PM
I agree w/ Pete and Dave: in an ideal world, Gene would have killed them. Barring that, they would have later been caught and executed that night in the town square. I all for proportional punishment but I think this is proportional: I have low standards for execution, under my "are we better off with or without them" test.
Published: February 10, 2005 12:18 PM
Hope you recover quickly Gene. English Hooligans... how infuriating.
While you are in the land of the disarmed, perhaps you should bone up on the use of your fists, feet, and knives.
(warning, striking your attacker may earn you an assault conviction)
Brent
Published: February 10, 2005 2:38 PM
"While you are in the land of the disarmed, perhaps you should bone up on the use of your fists, feet, and knives."
Knives in the UK? Stick to fists and feet - better yet buy a good pair of track shoes and practice the 100-yard dash.
[The police] behaved as if they had never seen a penknife before, pulling out the bottle-opener, the corkscrew, the thing that gets stones out of horses' hooves. "This device has a locking blade," said the constable ... "You're about to be arrested for possessing offensive weapons and carrying a bladed instrument in public ... You've committed an offence, mate, and you'd better get used to the fact that you're going down for six months" Link
Published: February 10, 2005 10:00 PM
Do I get to judge your worthiness to society, Stephan?
Published: February 10, 2005 10:50 PM
In an ideal world, I am autocrat and kill whomever offends me at my leisure.
Well, we don't live in my ideal world, for which everyone but me I assume should be grateful.
Published: February 11, 2005 12:03 AM
Tim,
Much as I support that "farmer who shot a thug", please do be aware that the one he shot at and hit was fleeing and already out the door.
Even in the gun-crazy Wild-West environment of the United States, shooting a fleeing suspect will get you jail time too. With the possible exception of Texas.
The extenuating circumstances are that the farmer had simply finally acted in the extreme from repeated abuse without assistance from the local constabulary.
Published: February 11, 2005 6:37 AM
I'm not particularly interested in what fiat-legislation has to say about what behaviour is appropriate. If someone breaks into your house and steals something, you have the right to shoot them whether they're fleeing or not (or take whatever action against them that is necessary to get them to stop committing their crime).
Published: February 11, 2005 9:21 AM
"Except in Texas."
That brought to mind a case in my hometown. A young male was attempting to steal a man's car, which was parked on the street in front of the man's home. The man emerged from his house, shotgun in hand. The youth fled while the man took aim and shot him in the back, killing him. The grand jury acquitted the man, and several years later he was given a "hometown hero" award for his community service -- this unfortunate event not precluding him from such an accolade.
Published: February 11, 2005 9:28 AM
Apparently the farmer who shot the burglar had his sentence reduced but will have to serve a "full" 2/3 of his sentence for manslaughter. The farmer was not convicted by a unanimous jury, but only by a majority of 10-2 (I had no idea this could happen in Britain). The 16 year old burglar who was shot already had 29 criminal convictions (!)
Some more information here: http://www.tonymartinsupportgroup.org/pages/persview.htm
As relevant as these discussions of self defense are, may I point out that there are lots of other fruitful areas of enquiry for libertarians. For example:
- Britain's high taxation and regulation are responsible for the chronic unemployment and underemployment that leaves young men with little else to do but hang out, steal, take drugs, sell drugs, vandalize property, etc. (not that this relieves them in any way of personal responsibility for their actions)
- The state monopoly on policing leads to a monunmentally useless, expensive and unaccountable constabulary. Mark Steyn has frequently commented on this in his columns.
- The state school system is probably very short on teaching practical skills, and very big on teaching self esteem, racial sensitivity, ethnic studies, etc. The result is unemployable youth with a big chip on their shoulders.
- A public park that is infested with criminals is a classic case of the Tragedy of the Commons.
Published: February 11, 2005 10:29 AM
"The grand jury acquitted the man, and several years later he was given a "hometown hero" award for his community service -- this unfortunate event not precluding him from such an accolade."
I wouldn't say that event was unfortunate. Why should we bend over backwards to feel sorry for crooks, probably future violent criminals in the making?
Published: February 11, 2005 10:50 AM
It is always unfortunate when someone dies. Human life has intrinsic worth.
Published: February 11, 2005 11:01 AM
I don't know, Gil, you must not have hung out much at the Wal-Mart parking lot on Saturday nights in Prairieville, Louisiana.
Published: February 11, 2005 11:58 AM
"Except in Texas."
Or the other state that is incredibly gun friendly. Possibly more so legally than Texas. See if you can guess which state in the US...
Washington state. Yup, the state with far lower homicides and a distinct lack of 'gun culture' stereotyping has some of the most gun friendly laws. You want a concealed weapons permit? Give 50 bucks to your local police station and a fingerprint and you can pack heat just because you want to. And washington state is not a 'must retreat' state.
If a burgler breaks into your house, you can pump a 12-gauge round through his back. You aren't expected to retreat or play fair.
Not suprisingly there aren't many burglaries with resident present in washington state.
Published: February 12, 2005 3:36 AM