Mala Prohibita

By: Tom Chatham

Basically Mala Prohibita means something that is illegal because someone says it is. That is much different from Mala In Se meaning something that is illegal because it is bad in and of itself. Most people know that things such as rape, armed robbery, murder and assault are not acceptable behavior. These things hurt others by the mere act of doing them so civilized society declares them illegal.

But what about the things that are illegal just because someone in charge says they are? Is it a bad thing to drive 80 instead of 60? Is it a bad thing to drive without a license or without tags on your car? Is it bad to sell raw milk to a neighbor? Is it bad to own a gun that shoots 600 rounds per minute rather than one that shoots 20 rounds per minute? Is it bad to build a structure on property you own without a building permit?

It can be argued that some of these things are illegal because if the circumstances surrounding them get out of control, someone could get hurt. That has a lot to do with taking personal responsibility and using good judgment. Those that make these laws claim they can keep you safe if only you live the way they tell you to. Many of these laws are enacted for three reasons.

- To maintain control of a larger group by a smaller group.

- To generate revenue to support the smaller group and provide a means of force to maintain control.

- To force the social agenda of one group onto another group.

In the most basic sense, a law is only a law if someone has the force to enforce it. A dictator can make any law he wants because he has the force to punish people if they don’t comply. When a group of people know something is bad in and of itself, they don’t need a law to tell them so and to prevent someone from doing it. All that is required by them is to decide on a penalty if it is done. Laws are all about force and control and nothing more.

Laws are a way for a social hierarchy to push their values and lifestyles onto the broader population in a way that makes everyone feel abnormal if they do not comply. This is the way they keep everyone in line. When this does not work they apply pressure to noncompliant individuals to invoke some sort of pain on them to force compliance. It may be monetary pain, loss of property or even loss of freedom. Most people have become so accustomed to this type of coerced living style that they no longer question it. Some do and they are the constant targets of the social engineers. These non conformist people must be brought under control or destroyed as the engineers see it before more begin to question their authority.

This always leads to the same outcome for countries and the human race as a whole. Eventually the laws become so convoluted and all encompassing that nothing you do is acceptable. The society eventually tears itself apart, usually with a great deal of blood shed before it is over.

When three basic premises are adhered to a society can live with basically few laws and prosper in relative harmony.

-Do unto others as you would have them do unto you or simply do not infringe on someone else’s life, liberty or pursuit of happiness.

-Respect the private property of others.

-Take responsibility for your actions.

These things may seem very basic but the population as a whole ignores these simple things on a daily basis and then wonders why there are so many problems in the world. The problems we face in life can be traced back to these simple things that society must embrace once again before our problems can be solved. The social engineers will fight that transformation with everything they have because it will mean the loss of their power to manipulate society into their vision of Utopia.

The power of laws comes from the power to enforce. Not until the society brings enough force to bear against the social engineers will the laws that hinder our growth and happiness be abolished. Not until the society once again embraces the three basic premises will they have the collective power to bring that force to bear. Unfortunately, that may not happen until after our society has torn itself apart once more.