Heroes Day Reflection - Law & Order

Not too long ago, slave holders & oppressors used state sanctioned violence to suppress unrest & nonconformity, or in other words, 'fight crime' to maintain 'law & order'. Today, we hail heroes, yes, those non-conformists who challenged unjust laws & who died to eliminate conditions that necessitated social unrest.

Yet, Today, in a free society, we still use the same approach, speaking of 'fighting crime' or suppressing deviance & nonconformity to 'maintain law & order', without sufficient attention to addressing the conditions that necessitate social unrest.

On this heroes day, let it be known, that in vain do we fight crime & unrest, without tirelessly fighting unjust conditions, laws or attitudes that confront the most vulnerable among us, who, without justice, cannot guarantee the observance of 'law & order'.

Resistance

It is not the government's duty to provide man's daily bread; nevertheless, the government has an obligation to promote, secure & maintain the requisite environment that will enable man to create & secure his daily bread.

Further, where conditions obtain, that are unjust, unfair & inequitable, the government must exercise extraordinary effort to protect the vulnerable, whose ability to provide their daily bread is limited by these unfair conditions.

Hence, where government fail to create an enabling environment, secure just conditions, & protect the vulnerable, then they must be prepared to face inevitable resistance & nonconformity to the rules/laws & conditions that limit man's ability to secure his daily bread.

Illegitimate Governments

Justice is neither socialist nor capitalist; it is neither PNP nor JLP. Justice should reflect the interests of the people and not the narrow interests of a powerful few; it should not be complicated by the bureaucracies or dictates of the law-making powers of any government.

Therefore, since governments are trustees for the people, then governments that fail to secure justice for the well-being of their citizens are not legitimate.