Beautiful bit of discourse shooting down the notion of "the
people" granting the police authority. Loved it so much, had to
save it.

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From: Patrick Alexander
Newsgroups: iu.gripe
Subject: Re: nothing says the party is over...
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 21:29:31 +0000 (UTC)
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Message-ID: <a8qdnr$bsj$1@wilson.uits.indiana.edu>

Geoff Cashman <cashman@mayhem.kiva.net> wrote:
: In article <a8ktjg$kng$1@wilson.uits.indiana.edu>,
: Patrick Alexander  <paalexan@indiana.edu> wrote:
:>	Ahem.  I was with you 'til you dragged in the magical concept
:>"consent of the governed" into it.  The problem being, of course, that you
:>appeal to an imaginary entity, "the governed", to take an action that
:>individuals, the true functional units here, are incapable of...

: The people of this nation, the governed, are hardly imaginary.

	The people exist, but are not units of an entity called `the people'
or `the governed'.  There is no entity, just a name that can make it seem
like there is.  All you've got are a whole lot of individuals.
	Individuals are the operational units of actions like consenting,
granting, etc.  Treating a group of individuals as though they were an
individual hardly gives this group the ability to consent--that ability
still lies only with individuals.

: The
: police who have been granted their authority by the people are also
: hardly imaginary. The fact that the police have been granted this
: authority is no magical concept. 

	The police certainly have been granted authority, but not by `the
people' or `the governed'.  Individuals grant authority.  The police in
question were presumably granted their authority by Bloomington's chief of
police.  I didn't give it to them.  Did you?  How about Joe down the street? 
You know, I'm even pretty sure that I'd be arrested if I tried to do
anything that would constitute -denying- their authority.  If they got it
from me, that could hardly happen... and can't I say the same for you?  And
Joe down the street?

  Patrick Alexander

	`No crock of glittering prizes.
	 No sharply worded telegram.
	 No excuses for the word-weary.
	 No excuses for who I am.'

		--Jethro Tull
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