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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (72259)	8/11/2003 5:31:07 PM
From: epicure	Respond to of 82486

"If you start, as I do, from the POV that society needs to be just and nurturing so we can all get along and grow and prosper... " Some people who have families think that the best way to protect them is to have the POV that you express above. I speak for myself.

To: Lane3 who wrote (72259)	8/11/2003 5:51:01 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

I don't deny there is a gate. Nor do I think it a trivial gate. I just can't find a good enough reason to make a stand at this particular gate as opposed to all the other gates that have already opened and closed. One can always, at every gate, argue that this is not the right gate to stand at. You know Bonhoffer's quote, I'm sure. It's applicable here. The slippery slope and domino theories are scorned politically, but they have validity. New York City cleaned a lot of its crime up by their "broken windows" approach. Basically, they said "no open gate." They recognized that when you disregard violations of the moral code (and law is after all merely the imposition of a moral code) in some areas you make it easier to defend their disregard in other areas. For me, this gate is one worth making a stand at because if we never make a stand anywhere, we might as well not have any principles of social order, and you yourself admit that this is not a trivial gate. I'm just curious -- at what gate WILL you decide to stand?