NaturalLibertyRequiresAdherenceto Truth 319enforcementthatnobodyis spreadingseriouslylife-or career-erodinguntruthsabout
him or anyoneelse withwhomhe mightcontract.The existenceof libellaw buttressesthe
contractualcompetencyof legallysaneadultsfor the reasonthatit encouragesamong
contract-makersa validpresumptionof innocencenot unlikethe judicialpresumptionof
innocence.Juliannecan judgea potentialbusinesspartnerto be reasonablyinnocentof
spoliation,and she can rest assuredas muchuntilauthoritiescatchher potentialbusiness
partnersfor spoliation.
Werethereno libellaw,andanypartycouldpromulgatecareer-erodinguntruths
aboutotherpartiesundeterred,the environmentwouldbecomeone in whichlies circu-
late abouteveryone.A significantportionof the populationwouldbe unableto do busi-
nesson the basisthatit couldnot contestthe devastatingand scurrilousallegationsaired
aboutit. The widedisseminationof mendaciousaccusationsalsoevincesthatit is signifi-
cantlymoredifficultfor a businesspersonto separatetrueclaimsfromfalseones.When
an anarchistlibertarianstatesthat it is incumbentuponJulianneto do her ownhomework
aboutWallyandthe restof the thousandsof personswithwhomshe mightconduct
business,devoidof any libellaw to helpher separatecrooksfrominnocentpersons,that
anarchistlibertarianis, in effect,insistingto Juliannethatshe wasteyearsof her life. He
expectsher to embarkon a gruelingtaskthatshe wouldnot havehadto undergohad
defamationlawsbeenin place.As usual,the libertariananarchist’s expectationsprove
unrealistic.Oursystemmuststructurethe lawsaccordingto practicality.Ratherthan
lettingthis cumbersomeprocesseat awayher time,Julianneoughtto be livingher life
freely.
Whenno one can trustanyoneelse,as too manyfalseaccusationsrun rampant,it is no
longerrationalto expectthatindividualsformcontractsamongone another.Thereis no
goodfaith,placingeverylegallysane,consentingadultintoa stateof contractualincom-
petence.Thechaoticconditionscancelthe abilityto offercontractualassent.Thisargu-
mentof mineis in no mannera concessionto the governist’s assumptionthatthereneed
to be government-imposedoccupationallicensingrequirements.A normalgovernment
saysthatno one shouldbe ableto do businessas a doctor,plumber,or barberuntilone
has gonethroughthe hurdlesof obtaininga licensefromthe Stateto certifythatone is
capablein this field.Suchoccupationallicensinglawsare a holdoverfromthe guildsof
the highMiddleAgesandRenaissance,^8 andtheirtruepurposeis to restrictbusiness
competitionin theseindustries.Licensingensuresthatdoctors,lawyers,andplumbers
mayformsomethingof a government-regulation-protectedcartel.Whatwoulddo much
moreto assurepatientsthat a doctoris competentthangovernmentcertificationis indus-
try competition.It shouldbe legalfor a surgeonto advertisehis recordand rate of success
in pastsurgicalprocedures.
A legallycompetentadultalreadypossessesthe capacityto chooseher owndoctor,
plumber,or barberunderlaissez-fairecompetition.Sucha patientor clientis capableof
assessingfor herselfwhethershe is satisfiedwiththe serviceshe has beenprovided.That
peoplecan formulatecontractsin goodfaithis a vitalconditionfor contractualcompeten-
cy. Andthisgoodfaithcannotexistif libelandslanderlawsgo unenforced.In other
words,whenlibel,slander,trademarkinfringement,andotherformsof life-threatening
mendacityare legal,the veryinstitutionof freecommerceceasesto exist.In its place
arisesa Hobbesian“warof all againstall” wherebyeveryonemayfall preyto identity
thieves,productcounterfeiters,libelers,and othersuchcharlatans.Thatbecomesan envi-
ronmentheavyon spoliation.As withany otherformof fraud,libelis an initiationof the
use of forceagainstintangibleand genuinelyexistingindividualrights,and lawsagainst
libelare merelyretaliatoryforcein defenseof rights.
In BookOnewe introducedspoliationas directphysicalbrutality.We thenmentioned
JohnMcCaskey’s explanationof howcontractbreachand fraudconstituteindirectinitia-