Good People Disobey Bad Laws

Examples from the U.S.Couple fined for holding bible studies in their own home. (1)Kid's lemonades stands shut down across the country. (2)Louisiana church given Cease and Desist order for handing out free waters. (3)Incarceration for collecting rainwater on one's own property. (4 + 5)Police raid raw-milk-selling shops with guns drawn. (6 + 7)In the United States it is illegal to sell natural cures for cancer – even if they work. (8-11)Feeding the homeless made illegal across the U.S. (12) "In Philadelphia, local religious groups are feeding the homeless even though the city has banned this practice except in confined locations. Homeless advocates say the city wants the homeless run out of tourist areas. While a judge tries to figure it all out, poverty experts say it’s just part of a trend to crack down on panhandling, sleeping in public places and other facets of homelessness. "The tension in Philadelphia began when the mayor announced a ban on the outdoor feeding of the homeless. According to press reports, Michael Nutter has numerous reasons for the ban: he wanted to prevent food-borne illness; he wanted to protect city parklands from damage; and he said he wanted to help charitable agencies reach the homeless more easily. He argued that if religious and other groups could only provide food indoors, homeless folks could also get physical and mental health treatment in the same place they got food. "But four charities sued to city to block implementation of the ban. They accuse the mayor of wanting to clear homeless people out of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, home to tourist attractions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum and the newly relocated Barnes Museum with its crowd-pleasing works of art. The leader of Chosen 300 Ministries, Pastor Brian Jenkins, told NBC10 News in Philadelphia that he has a calling to feed the homeless. A judge blocked enforcement of the ban for 120 days, but when that block was lifted on July 14, Pastor Jenkins was back ladling out the soup on public streets, threatening to defy the law if it is enacted." http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org..., Mary Jo Draper, Feeding Homeless People Illegal? We’ll Break the Law or Change It, Advocates Say"Last year the city council of Houston, Texas, passed a law making it illegal to feed the homeless within the city without the permission of property owners. "Yes, in the land of six-guns, cattle rustling and Enron, handing a sandwich to a homeless person in a city park or serving a bowl of soup in a rented storefront can earn you a $500 fine. Some charitable organizations, financially unable to risk the fines, have relocated outside the city. "Last week, Houston police ticketed a homeless man for trying to feed himself by fishing a donut from a trash bin in a public park. "James Kelly, a nine-year Navy veteran, was issued a citation for violating a peculiar law on the books since 1942, and amended as recently as 2002, that makes it illegal to “remove any contents of any bin, bag or other container that has been placed for collection of garbage, trash or recyclable materials.” http://www.dailykos.com... Richard Riss, In Houston It's Illegal to Feed the Homeless and for the Homeless to Feed ThemselvesI respectfully request my opponent to enlighten both the audience and myself as to why this legislation is acceptable, and as to why individuals have no right to disobey such moronic, unethical decrees.The Security FallacyAnd since we're on Raw Milk anyhow..."For example, in the raw milk case that my opponent has pointed out, the prohibition of distribution of raw milk is to ensure the security of person.[2] Every person not only has the right to liberty, but also the right to security, and allowing raw milk to be sold clearly threatens such security."Logic dictates that, if we were to treat raw milk this way (which has been widely consumed for centuries,) we must also treat tobacco, sodapop, caffeine, toothpicks, swimming pools, firearms, anything and everything pointy or heavy -- really anything consisting of matter in the same fashion. If only for the individual's safety."Threats and harms, again, may not necessarily be direct but could in fact be indirect. Furthermore, just because a person hasn't harmed a person yet by breaking a law, does not mean there will not be consequences later on. By prohibiting certain activities, the government seeks to significantly reduce the risk of this happening.""In the U.S., the FDA estimates that there is one case of listeriosis linked to raw-milk cheese for every 55 million servings eaten." -James Andrews, Food Safety NewsRaw milk has health risks. So does pasteurized milk. So does water. And... anything and everything on the planet, in the solar system, in all of the known universe. I'll refrain on citing a source for this obvious observation. Quite apparently, raw milk is no more detrimental to the individual than cigarettes or alcohol.If individuals are not free to make stupid decisions (raw milk is certainly not one,) are they free at all?Enough of the Examples, on to Philosophy"Laws were made in order to reflect the values and attitudes of society. As society is continually changing, so too is the legal system. If one were to look back a few centuries, the practice of witchburning was actually recognised by the legal system."Exactly. Those who resisted those laws had no right to do so?"While those laws may seem horrid now, they may have been seen as perfectly acceptable by society at the time."Exactly! Exactly, exactly, exactly!"Pro did not recognise the dangers of raw milk, so if he 'Disobeyed this Bad Law,' he could have seriously threatened someone's health and wellbeing, all the while thinking that he has the 'right' to sell the milk."But I do have the right to sell raw milk. A voluntary exchange of a service/product for another product, service, or currency does not violate any individual's rights, whether it be alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, a coffee mug, or sex. What one does not have the right to do is use force and/or threats of force in order to stop such a voluntary, peaceful exchange.Voluntary, my dear Watson. Voluntary.1. http://abcnews.go.com...2.http://www.forbes.com...3. http://radio.foxnews.com...4. http://www.naturalnews.com...5. http://www.cnsnews.com... 6. http://www.myfoxny.com...7. http://www.naturalnews.com... <-- Timeline of raids.8. http://articles.mercola.com... 9.http://www.todayinaltmed.com...10. http://www.naturalnews.com...11. http://www.amazon.com... <-- Good read.12. http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com...