We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Bite back

Colour me cynical but whenever I hear the word ‘campaign’ these days I generally assume the worst. If it isn’t a bleat for some more state nannying then it’s a demand for some godawful prohibition or other. I realise how jaundiced I sound but I am confident that an examination of the record of these things over the last two decades or so would bear me out.

However, there are always exceptions:

Tony Martin, the farmer jailed for the manslaughter of a burglar, will campaign after his release this month for better legal protection for householders who defend themselves against intruders, his MP said yesterday.

He will also work for changes in the law to stop burglars obtaining legal aid to sue homeowners for compensation if they are injured during a break-in.

There is an old Japanese saying that time is a slow but fair judge. How sweet it would be if Mr.Martin were to finally triumph over those who have wronged him.

In regards to a proposed change in the law it is my view that while the letter of the law should be examined the weight of the problem lies with its application and the assumptions of both the police and the judiciary. It is well past time that those assumptions were challenged and I cannot imagine a more worthy champion than Tony Martin who, as the saying goes, has been there, done that and got the T-shirt (prison issue).

We at the Samizdata will be keeping a close eye on this campaign.

7 comments to Bite back

  • I post this piece of breaking news from the Press Association without comment:

    Burglar stabs pensioner 45 times

    A pensioner was fighting for his life after being stabbed 45 times by a burglar. Malcolm Deighton, 70, was at home alone in the Stanley Park area of Blackpool when he confronted an intruder in his hall. During a struggle, which spilled on to the front drive, Mr Deighton was stabbed 45 times.

  • It’s not just Tony Martin who is a victim of the law here.

    Too really understand what’s going on in Britain today with regard to civilian weapons ownership and self defence, you need to see it from the globalist perspective.

    Under the fast-approaching, liberty-shattering ‘New World Order’ so beloved by Blair, the Bushes, and the US and UK political elite, there will be NO personal weapons of any kind permitted, nor any ‘culture of violence’ [i.e. no potential future resistance].

    For a good introduction to the elite’s ultimate goals in this, from a U.S. perspective, see “GUN CONTROL AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER’ at http://www.survivalistskills.com/nwa.htm as well as ‘OPERATION GARDEN PLOT’ at http://www.survivalistskills.com/GDNPLOT.HTM and ‘THE PLANNED US AND CANADIAN CONCENTRATION CAMP AND DETENTION CENTRE PROGRAM’ at http://www.survivalistskills.com/camps.htm.

    The rational and normal mind recoils from the idea that a nation’s leaders might be at perpetual war with their own people in pursuit of some higher, global goal. But read “The U.S. Public Warms To The Idea Of Civilian Concentration Camps” at http://www.survivalistskills.com/CONCAMP.HTM [This is a long page, slow to load, but well worth it. Be sure to see the quotes and astonishing photographs at the end of the article!], and reflect on how consistently this occurs, and how easily the general public are pursuaded to applaud and agree with their own loss of rights.

    [for a similar perspective on the same process at work in Canada and the UK, see “How Canada Lost Its Liberties And Freedoms – And Few Cared!” at http://www.survivalistskills.com/CANLIB.HTM and “How Britain Legislated Away 2,000 Years Of Rights And Freedoms” at http://www.survivalistskills.com/UKLIB.HTM]

    Still unpersuaded? “TRAGEDY AND HOPE”, by Professor Carroll Quigley, is a virtual ‘blueprint’ of the political elite’s game-plan for accomplishing their ‘New World Order’ by guile – and by force, where need be. Read the huge array of quotations from political and other leaders on that page, and ask yourself whether they have not already accomplished much of what they need to achieve in order to turn the world into a giant ‘global plantation’, where they are the unresisted masters.

    There’s a substantial archive of other fascinating and invaluable ‘New World Order Intelligence Update’ articles on the New World Order at http://www.survivalistskills.com/sect22.htm and archived also at http://www.rarehistorybooks.com/NWOLINKS.HTM. The ‘NWOIU’ site itself is currently down for substantial re-construction, but these archived articles are well worth reading.

    Tony Martin, sadly, won’t be the last victim of this global drive to eliminate the means – and even the very thought – of self defence.

  • Ernie G

    I am sure that there are many who would be glad to help Mr. Martin.

  • Swede

    As an American I am absolutely appalled by what was done to Mr. Martin. I cannot imagine not being able to defend my family and my home. I own 2 handguns and a shotgun. If somebody were dumb enough to break into my home I can assure you it would be their last act on this earth. Not only that but if, for some inconceivable reason, I had a charge brought against me, I have no doubt that a jury trial would acquit me because we have a very fierce sense of our right to defend our house and kin.

  • Shaun Bourke

    David,

    At some point Mr Martin’s campain is going to need funding to inform the population at large. I do hope you will keep us updated with the campain’s mailing address so that those of us who can will donate to this most worthwhile cause.

  • Ian

    Tony Martin is either –

    a murderer– who shot one person in the back and then continued shooting at the other as they ran away, trying to kill them after achieving his supposed aim of defending his home.

    a criminal before he even pulled the trigger– he could have legally owned an ordinary shotgun, more than enough to back up a simple statement of ‘I’ve got a gun’ if things had escalated and he had needed to use defensive force. Instead he opted for a pump action with multiple shells so he could create as much carnage as possible.

    or

    a person so mentally unstable even Charlton Heston would refuse to give him a gun. Which was the argument used to get him out of jail early.

    Tony Martin is not a hero. The law allows the use of acceptable force in the defence of persons or property, and Martin went far beyond the acceptable.

    If the laws covering self defence are so wrong then surely you could find someone far more defensible to rally behind

  • george

    A burglar is a criminal who breaks into your home while you’re away to steal your valuables. A home invader breaks into your home, knowing that you’re inside, to terrorize and assault you.
    Home invasion is a far more serious crime, the presence of an intruder is a clear and immediate threat to your safety and well-being. A resident is morally justified in using whatever force he or she deems necessary to terminate the threat. Home invaders can expect no mercy, since they initiated the violence in the first place. Armchair critics should hold their tongues unless they themselves have been placed in such a dangerous and volatile situation. Stand tall, Mr. Martin.