Libertarians and the Portland Kidnappings
Hello there again readers, and welcome back to Coffee Break Liberty, a blog where I tackle books, news, and many other things under the sun where liberty is a guiding principle. If this is your first time here I would like to extend a special warm welcome to you and hope you enjoy yourself while here.
The Portland protests have turned into an absolute mess this last week and a half. For context, there have been continuous protests in Portland, OR since the end of May in response to the killing of George Floyd. The protests have gotten smaller in size but have been ongoing every night. Two weeks ago, according to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, the protests had just a few hundred people and were peaceful. Though he had requested National Guard troops before, there no longer seemed to be a need for them. Eventually, though the Department of Homeland Security sent agents to Portland to try and stop the protests, which again were at this point peaceful and only a few hundred people. This is where things went sideways. Videos started to surface or people being snatched off of the street by unidentified agents and tossed into unmarked minivans and driven away. When this was brought up to the white house they confirmed that there were now federal agents there and they were detaining people. To top it off Mayor Ted Wheeler has asked that the federal agents leave the city, all to no avail though as the agents continue to stay and operate. In this post, we want to make clear where I stand on this issue and why, and provide possible solutions for the protesters.
The stance here is that I find what is going on in Portland abhorrent. These people are being kidnapped, even if only for a few hours, by federal agents and not being charged with crimes because they aren’t committing any, and the agents that took them don’t have the authority to charge them. Arguments have been made that we as libertarians should just shrug our shoulders because those being attacked by the federal government right now are Marxists. I’ll concede that yes they disagree with us on just about everything but that doesn’t negate the fact that they still have human rights. Libertarians are supposed to be principled, that is what makes us a shining example. Everyone else lacks principles and violates the ones they say they do have. We on the other hand should be as good as we tell people we are. We believe in all the rights all the time for everyone, yes even those, that if the shoe was on the other foot would try to harm us or shrug their shoulders. My principles do not end when I come across someone I disagree with. Being opposed to authoritarianism all the time seems like a good place to stand.
We also cannot forget that not only are these actions violations of human rights but also simply a violation of the constitution. If you aren’t an anarchist and look up to the constitution this should hit home, right? The president does not have the constitutional authority to send federal agents into a city to detain people over protests. The only way President Trump could get close to that power would be by declaring martial law. This would give him the power to do what he is doing. That said the conditions in Portland don’t fit the criteria required to make such a declaration. That too is in the constitution. This whole Portland situation now is an abuse of power that the executive simply doesn’t have.
Additionally, I don’t expect a bunch of unarmed left-wing Marxists to be able to do much harm to me anyways. They won’t be putting anyone up against the wall as it were as they wouldn’t be able to get anyone they felt should be. They have for the most part been so against firearms that they wouldn’t be able to go on this murderous rampage some libertarians fear. I do not worry about these Marxists at all and view them now as useful idiots for libertarians and ANCAPs.
Finally to change course, a bit on what local law enforcement and governments could and should be doing. As stated before the mayor or Portland doesn’t want the federal agents in his city. Somethings that could be done would be to cut power and water to the federal building the agents are in. The state of Utah did this years ago to an NSA (National Security Agency) facility in an attempt to disrupt their operations. The city could also start “road construction” all around the building thus cutting off access to it. We can’t forget too that warrants can be served where the federal agents are staying again disrupting the ongoing operation. And finally, the county Sheriff can exercise his authority, as he is beholden to the state and US constitution, and start to detain these federal agents as they are clearly in violation of the constitution.
Thank you for reading, and please don’t forget to like, share, and check out our new store!
Keep that coffee warm for us
LWS
