If you need proof, just look at the house I live in. Work staring at me from every wall, and all I do is pound this blasted keyboard. Of course with money being as important as it is; and, that working on my home costs money; plus, this keyboard is supposed to be producing income so I can work on the house... Right. So where, in hell's half acre, is my bank account?
The point is; CHOICE. FREE WILL; if you will. You know, the pursuit of wine, women and ... I mean Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, and if pot makes you happy... You get the drift. As far as I'm concerned it's a personal choice, up to a point that is. And where is that point? Well, it's just about the same place as where my freedom to swing my fists ends. Right where someone else starts paying the price for my activity.
Now that's a grey area any more. Just where does my action start to hurt someone else? Just where does anyones for that matter? In a simpler day that point was recognized to be right on the point of the other fellows nose. In other words right where my swinging fist hurt or cost someone else in some tangible way.
These days that's all been changed to mean if anyone sees me swing my fist somehow they seem to imagine I've damaged, hurt, or cost them in some why. Ludicrous? Maybe, but the swinging fist is a good example to use.
Let's see if this makes any sense. Assume my neighbor is anti fist swinging. (Bear with me, it gets better!!) OK. The guy is into isometric exercise maybe. (Could be elbow bends too.) One day this fellow looks out his window and sees me swinging my arms all around in my back yard. Well, he doesn't like that because he doesn't believe in getting his exercise that way, so he calls the cops and wants me arrested for swinging my fists.
When the cops show up they arrest me for the crime of Fist Swinging. I didn't hit anyone or thing but they arrest me anyway. Why? Because the neighbor suffered some damage by watching me flail about? Well, that's what he said. Some how it hurt his eyes to see me swing my fist. (Did you notice his eyes aren't black just from the sight?)
Lets go a bit further. If he suffered any damage from seeing me swing my fist, maybe we can support the charge that by saying the light which brought him the image came from my side of the fence. (I knew I should have built a taller fence, but the law says they can only be six feet tall!) Therefore I damaged him by sending the light his way.
Right. Maybe I can counter sue charging him with unlawful reception of my light.
Meanwhile, back on earth.
Some dude comes to your door and wants to witness his lord to you. You however believe his lord is his lord, not yours and punch him out the second time he knocks. Whoops. You could have waited until the third knock, simply done the Nancy, said NO and shut the door twice. Maybe he didn't realize what you meant the first time, or maybe he didn't know he hadn't changed doors. Besides, haven't you ever noticed how much it hurts to hit someone.
And on that other planet.
It sure is nice not to have anyone knock on my door. After all, that motion is illegal. It looks too much like swinging a fist, and hitting someone elses property too! My, My. A violent crime.
Back to earth.
Does it all sound a little far out there? Well, yes. But the point should be obvious. Nothing should be illegal unless there really is a victim, other than myself. (It's my shoulder and elbow that suffer when my arm hits the end of it's stroke, not yours.)
Assuming we're all quasi normal, we can agree that killing someone is a crime. But even that crime comes in degrees. The purposeful, intentional killing of another carries the heaviest penalty. The degree falls from there depending on intent of action and awareness of that acts result. First degree murder is followed by all sorts of classifications for the same result, a persons death. There is even a class called Justifiable Homicide. That's if someone dies as a result of my act of self defense, BUT only if I don't use more force than I was facing.
Now follow the following:
If the burglar is about to shoot me with his 22 and I shoot him with my 45, did I use too much force?
OR..
If the burglar is unaware of my presence and put his weapon away and I shoot him with my 22, did I use too much force?
WELL..
The cop thought the unarmed burglar had a gun and shot him dead, did he use too much force?
Now this:
In the first case No. In the second case No. In the third case, generally, No.
Moving right along now.
The point is that the burglar had a victim, even if he didn't have a gun. Someone lost what he stole. But.. His crime is far less serious than murder. (Which is what may eventually happen if he always packs while committing burglaries.)
Now lets go to planet X.
My neighbor and I are working saps. He drinks in the evening after work, and I smoke a joint. Planet X has no low against either pot or beer so both he and I are cool. However his kids, like mine are fed and clothed because we're both caring parents; not like the jerks down the street who take the family food and clothing money to buy their beer, wine, pot or whatever. (They'll be getting a visit from the parenting police, eventually, I'm sure.)
Oh well, that's on planet X. The situation would be different here. My neighbor gets obnoxious drunk in his back yard and that's OK. It's even OK if his kids are afraid of him when he is. (I can't imagine why they would be, he's never given them a reason to fear him in that condition.) But for me to smoke a reefer I better hide in the basement and not let the smell out either, even though my kids are never afraid of me even stoned. (And don't let the kids know either, some cop will pry it out of them at school any more.)
What's wrong with that picture?
Nothing if you believe a victimless crime is in fact a crime.
Everything if you believe there is no crime until there's a victim.
In the meantime many thousands of otherwise fine citizens are victimized by our government every year for there victimless crime of choosing a drug other than alcohol to use in their homes, if use a drug is there choice.
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some how the words have been emptied of their meaning for many.