Deer run rampant in our neighborhood. Anyone who drives above the speed limit or isn't watchful runs the risk of killing Bambi and making an expensive visit to the body shop. Below are some photos of the many deer who have fed and rested on our property -- which they think is theirs. The first four pictures capture various portions of a herd of about 18 deer that visited us in January 2005. The fifth picture, from May 2005, is of a fawn that was "left in our care" while Mom went foraging for food.
John Stuart Mill opined that "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others." But who determines whether an act is harmful or harmless? Acts deemed harmless by an individual are not harmless if they subvert the societal bonds of trust and self-restraint upon which liberty itself depends. Which is not to say that all social regimes are regimes of liberty. Liberty requires voice -- the freedom to dissent -- and exit -- the freedom to choose one's neighbors and associates. Voice and exit depend, in turn, on the rule of law under a minimal central government, such as the one envisioned by the Framers of our Constitution. Liberty, because it is a social phenomenon and not an innate condition of humanity, must be won and preserved by staunchly and unflinchingly defending the nation and through the swift and certain administration of justice.