With heavy rainstorms bringing flooding and mudslides to one part of the Los Angeles area, government officials have issued a “mandatory evacuation order” to people living there. One television channel had a reporter present to see how residents were responding, and found a sizeable number who were simply ignoring the order. “They can’t force us to leave,” a few homeowners responded, indicating that they would use their own judgment in deciding if and when to leave.
What’s to be done with these disobedient souls? Will the state tolerate such open refusal to abide by its mandate which, it is argued, is for the safety of residents? Will the state now send in SWAT teams to forcibly remove these property-owners? Might a few of these residents be machine-gunned as they resist being “protected” for their own good?
The news channel reporter closed with the inane comment that the area was still under the “mandatory evacuation order.” I wonder if the thought had ever crossed her mind that, given the state’s propensity for exaggeration and lying – as well as the media’s habit of reporting such falsehoods as truth – residents might be coming to the realization that such official pronouncements are not to be trusted, and that mature men and women must increasingly rely on their own judgments in their actions.
“Why, . . why, . . it’s anarchy! It’s anarchy!”
4:09 pm on December 12, 2014
