heinleinblog

• Green Bay News-Chronicle: A pitch for ‘rational anarchy’ The author uses ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” to explain the concept of holding office holders persobnally responsibile for their own behavior. It’s a radical concept, I admit:

Wyoming Knott, our heroine, challenges the concept: “Too much power in the hands of individuals – surely you would not want, well, H-missiles for example – to be controlled by one irresponsible person?”

“My point is that one person is responsible. Always,” de la Paz replies.

“If H-bombs exist – and they do – some man controls them. In terms of morals there is no such thing as ’state.’ Just men. Individuals. Each responsible for his own acts.”

Might sound like gobbledygook to many folks, but it sounds like common sense to me. Commit a misdeed, and the devil didn’t make me do it, the company didn’t make me do it, not even the government made me do it – and I certainly cannot fall back on the old standby “I was just following orders,” because only I am responsible for my actions.