At 1:41 PM +0100 12/8/00, Tom Vogt wrote:
Me wrote:
In English it is preferable to write "I wrote," though "Me wrote" is honored in some subcultures.
if i were to cloak my desire for privacy in the words of the Great Squid, would it be more legitimate?
does it matter?
the point is that almost everyone even here is not willing to go to jail or worse for "another tiny bit of privacy". we don't draw a sharp boundary. we don't say, for example, that knowing my street is ok, but knowing my house number is over the line. and the total population is even worse. the vast majority of internet users would give you pretty much anything for a minimal return ("one hour free surfing"), and everything else for a larger one ("$100 for my political and sexual preferences? sure.")
the muslim veil, on the other hand, IS a sharp boundary. as I understand it, it is NOT permisable to lift it in public under ANY circumstances.
Me was making a different point, that presumably there is no legal distinction, at least in America, between the religion of Islam and the religion of the Great Squid. As to your language about "it is NOT permissable ...under ANY circumstances," there are many religious beliefs which are overruled by law in the U.S. Mormon polygamy (several spouses), for example. Peyote rituals, for another example. Though there are some "variations in regulations" allowable for various religions, such as rules about wearing hats in military services, etc., there is a very general principle in the U.S. which says that the law applies equally to all, regardless of religious beliefs. (This is a major reason for having a minimal state, with the set of laws only being the "Schelling points" (a game theory term many of us like to use) which nearly all persons can agree to.) The Great Squid has equal standing with Mohammed, in other words. Things are dramatically different in Germany and other countries, we all understand. But in the U.S., no particular religion is supposed to have any special favor in the eyes of the law. There are even Satanist chaplains/priests in the U.S. armed services. --Tim May -- (This .sig file has not been significantly changed since 1992. As the election debacle unfolds, it is time to prepare a new one. Stay tuned.)