LOL! Talk about taking a contrary pill today, CB. OF COURSE, freedom is a right. And of course it requires personal responsibility. I am arguing nothing of the sort in your third paragraph.
What I am questioning is how far you and kholt want to go with wanting "freedom"..... I have taken that to mean at the extreme that you would want no government action what so ever.
So where does that lead us, if people decide to kill, wound, rob (or fit in the word) each other. Do you take up the sword and go out and stop the mayhem? Do you just ignore that person, and say 'oh, that's ok...you have freedom to do what you want...'?
Freedom does not include the right to initiate force or fraud against others. Freedom is a right, earned I might add, by people who have protected these shores from those who wanted to take over (Japan and Germany come to mind.) We have no right to infringe upon the rights of others.
And by the way...from the things we see in the news on a daily basis, it would seem that there are some/way too many people who do the things you mentioned....even if they know there is a penalty.
As you know, we are either a nation of laws, and people to enforce them if the laws aren't followed. Or we are not.
What do you think we should do with the people who don't follow the laws if we live in a land where there is so much freedom that there are no law enforcers?
Freedom requires personal responsibility.
You seem to be arguing that, absent government authority, we would all be degenerates. Do you really depend on the government to keep you from killing others, having sex with all and sundry, stealing everything you can get your hands on?
I doubt that. |
