Mexican president elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador believes that mass migration to the United States is the right of all North Americans and all people throughout the world. Further, he promised to defend that right. So where did Lopez Obrador get such a strange idea? From the teachings of the Roman Church-State, of course.
Have you ever stopped to think about your property? Specifically, have you ever considered the question, By what right do I own anything?
Since this is a blog post, you’re probably reading these words on some sort of electronic device. Maybe you’re using a smart phone or a tablet or a desktop or laptop computer. So let me ask my original question to you in a little different way, By what right do you claim ownership of the electronic device you’re using to read this post?
Suppose you’re reading this post on your tablet. Perhaps you’d say to me, “I own this table, because I went to the store and bought it.”
Okay, but let’s take that back another step and ask this question, By what right did the store sell you the tablet? You may say to me, “Well, the store bought it from an electronic wholesaler.”
But then that raises a further question, Where did the wholesaler get the right to sell the tablet to the store where you bought it. “From the manufacturer or course,” you may reply.
Alright, so how did the manufacturer rightfully get the parts to assemble the tablet? “The manufacturer bought them from a supplier,” you may retort.
This is really becoming tiresome, I know. But still, I can’t help asking, Just where did the parts supplier get the materials, the silicon for example, to manufacture the integrated circuits that are essential to making your table work?
“Well, quite obviously, the parts manufacturer bought the silicon from a silicon supplier,” you would answer.
“Very well,” I’d reply, “but let me ask you this, Since the base materials for silicon metal used to make your device’s integrated circuits are gravel and items such as coke, coal and wood chips, where did the supplier of silicon get the right to use these items?”
“They bought them from gravel and coal miners and from suppliers of wood products,” would likely be you answer.
Alright already. So where did the gravel miners, the coal miners and the suppliers of wood products get the right to use the land from which they took the raw materials?
“Naturally, they bought the land from Old MacDonald, who figured he could do better by selling his land to the coal miners than spending the rest of his life raising chickens and cows and pigs.”
Okay, okay, okay. Lest this become overly wearisome for the both of us, let me ask just one last question. Where did Old MacDonald get the title to his farm in the first place?
“Well, I guess he bought it from the previous owner, maybe it was the bank or some other farmer.”
But, BUT, BUT!…No, I’m not going to go there. I promised that would be the last question, and I’ll keep my word.
I hope, though, that this somewhat annoying line of questioning has raised your curiosity about the issue of ownership. Just how is it that we can claim the right to own something? Is it even possible to rightly claim ownership, that is, the exclusive right to use and dispose of a particular good or service, or should we all be collectivists holding all things in common?
Now you may be thinking at this point, “Steve that’s all very interesting, but just what on earth does any of this have to do with your main point of refuting Exsul Familia, Rome’s position paper on immigration, migration, and refugee resettlement?
The short answer is, quite a lot. Let’s take a look at it.
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Lux Lucet 