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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (28157)	2/6/2004 10:48:53 AM
From: E	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793866

There's no contradiction between "gun-run" and this statement: There is a right to pursue happiness, if you believe in the Declaration of Independence. The State's right to interfere in agreements between individuals is limited. If the contract in question does not infringe on anyone's rights, the government has no business interfering. You also wrote, Where do we get these "rights?" From some Bearded Old Jew up in a Mystical heaven? Nobody really has any "rights." You have you, and the Universe. And what you can make of it. Such institutions as our Constitution, and our Declaration of Independence, were our founding fathers' instruments for "making something of the Universe," in your terminology, for themselves and for us. To the degree that our founding fathers' notion of the will of "a bearded old Jew" influenced their civic aspirations and designs, our "rights" are not unrelated to Judao/Christian precepts. An important function of our government is to protect our rights. Aren't we lucky that we don't live in South Korea or Myanmar?

To: LindyBill who wrote (28157)	2/9/2004 2:32:57 AM
From: Dayuhan	Respond to of 793866

Ours is a "Gun run" system. Behind every law there's a gun. If you don't think so, get a speeding ticket and push it. A Policeman will show up at your door. And pull out his gun if you refuse to obey him. One difference between our society and some others is that in our society the men with the guns don’t make the rules. Another difference is that if individuals think a certain law poses undue restraint on their freedoms, they can petition the courts for redress. The courts have to hear the petition, and decide whether the restraint in question is indeed excessive, a decision that should not be influenced by politics or popularity. If the courts agree with the petitioner, the guys with the guns can’t come to the door anymore. That’s what makes America different from Saddam’s Iraq. Nobody really has any "rights." You have you, and the Universe. And what you can make of it. I’d agree that nobody has divinely granted, inalienable rights. We do have legal rights, because we have decided that we ought to have those rights and set up systems to ensure that we do. Those rights can taken be away. The process by which they are taken away starts with refusal to recognize the rights and legitimate petitions of unpopular scapegoat groups. It doesn’t end there.