First off I’m an anarchist without adjectives, and I morally object to every single aspect of the war on drugs. Further, I sincerely do my best to follow the non aggression principle, and find it utterly objectionable to cause somebody harm, or take an action that I know will indirectly harm them greatly when they have not aggressed against you.
Now here’s my dillemma. I’m a 22 year old college student and last year I helped a friend find a gram of marijuana one time. Now I’m facing felony sale and delivery charges, and the best plea I can get from the police is a misdemeanor and 90 days in prison. I would fight the charges to try to get a better deal (because the informant most definitely lied to them about a number of issues), but its not the easiest thing to prove. And It’s a bad idea toy fight the charges anyways because it turns out my home is in the university school zone, and the mandatory minimum would be 2 years in state prison if I was found guilty.
I also have the option to work with the police to arrange a couple buys and get it down to probation instead.
Now as an anarchist(hell as a frinckin human being!) I can’t think of a greater denail of every fundamental right than incarceration. And I also would never wish this on anybody else that has never done me harm.
So how many of you would become an informant in this case?
What are they not expecting and what are they counting on for their benefit?
It’s hard to say when it’s someone else life. But if it were possible to get to strength to stand like Gandhi, showing they have brute force but not reason or conving, that nobody wants to side or help them. That would damage them more. They don’t want to arrest half the kids in the country. They want you to be their spy against each other, that way they achieve total power and don’t even need police because we would be betryaing each other to the state. I have no right to ask you anything. I hope my thoughts and first three questions help.
what “maximizes your freedom” may not necessarily be collaborating with the authorities. two years pass quickly and would have to be weighed against possible future recriminations, a real ball and chain for life. good luck, in any case.
Do people become libertarians to excuse their moral failings?
Lew Rockwell once asked if somebody was a tax cheat or a child molester when he was told that this specific person started calling himself a libertarian. Maybe it is too cynical, but now that people come to Mises.org to admit crimes or that there are “sovereign citizens” who even shoot down policemen to “maintain self sovereignty”, I am seriously wondering if there is a tiny minority on this forum that has no sense of proportion, scale, or priority.
In most forums, whenever a poster admits of a crime, the topic is locked. I am just saying.
So sorry to hear about your dilemma… I would talk to a lawyer. Go to a few and find the one you think can most likely help you. Don’t be afraid to spend money on it. The opportunity cost for you has got to be at least $20,000.
I’ve actually been calling myself an anarchist for over a year, and this whole situation has all come up just a week ago. All I’m trying to do is provoke a discussion on what point would you throw away your morals for your own self interest. I can understand some people trying to spark debates on illegal activity to get this site shut down(I’ve also read about how many hacking attempts there are every day on this site) but all I’m talking about is choosing between two completely legal actions, one of which however goes against my sense of morality and directly empowers the state.
“on what point would you throw away your morals for your own self interest”
Never, don’t be infected by Rand, there are things more important than money or yourself.
The most noble thing a man can do is sacrifice for a good cause, of course the state/Rand wants us to not help each other, be selfish and that way control and destroy us. Do not become an informant, another tentacle of the state.
No offense, but did you say something to the police that would incriminate you? You might want to get a much better lawyer. I know tons of people who have gotten caught selling and possessing more than that amount of marijuana, and they never even saw a day in jail.
Don’t blurt out your court case and actions on the internet. ‘Everything you say can and will be used in a court of law’
I’m asking, certainly not demanding, the members of the forum to not respond to this thread. One, it smells fishy. Two, even if it isn’t, further expounding upon this point would only harm the individual who is being tried for this crime ( if he actually is being tried )
To the original poster, find peace in the writings of smart men. Reflect then act.
I’d really like to just focus on the ethics involved on this, if only because it is an interesting philosophical problem. It is easy to to say self interest shouldn’t override the rights of others, even if you don’t personally know them. But you’d be surprised what your survival instincts can do to you principles. I guess I should’ve expected a lot of deontological ethicists here(not that I don’t agree with it), so I think I’d like to generalize my question. Everybody else, where would you draw the line between self interest and moral principles? Would you become a martyr for any and every just cause?
All I have to say about any more details are that 1) I have a lawyer and have not been interviewed yet. and 2) school zones(my home is in one). And if anyone was wondering, of course my name is not anything close to what it is in here(don’t actually know why I went with this one).