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Libertea Party

Eric Garner, Mohamed Bouazizi, and the tyranny of petty laws

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There are parallels with Mohamed Bouazizi tragedy in Tunisia that launched the Arab Spring revolution and the Eric Garner outrage. What you have is the state's ability to be recklessly violent becoming exposed and directed toward the most marginalized of populations. Whether it's unevenness in drug laws or other petty social/economic regulations... these nonviolent "crimes" often wind up ensnaring powerless minorities Minority in the sense of social/economic not necessarily racial. This includes even ex cons like Eric Garner who had a criminal past and probably had very little economic opportunities outside of what he was doing.

This comment by Bouazizi's brother is powerful and instructive here:

"We asked Salem, one of Bouazizi’s brothers, what his brother in heaven might have hoped his sacrifice would bring to the Arab world. Salem did not hesitate: "That the poor also have the right to buy and sell."

The relationship between awful incidents like this and the overreach of government is something Rand Paul should continue discussing... and academics like Balko and DiLorenzo should continue to explore further.
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