On Tue, 3 Apr 2001, Sandy Sandfort wrote:
Jim most certainly did miss my point. I said, in essence, that we are doing the anti-privacy crowd's a service when we argue among ourselves. Jim's still arguing left vs. right vs. libertarian vs. whatever. Get with the program, Jim.
No Sandy, it's still you and your anarchist/libertarian/heirarchist cohorts who miss the point. It isn't our arguing that gives them anything. What they're afraid of is we'll find a way to live together and still have our individual views fully protected. What frightens all of you is you'll find out you haven't found 'the way', that in fact there is no such beast. Utopia doesn't exist and can't. You want to know what they fear the most (and anarchist, libertarians, and all manipulative philosophies)? That the populate in general will find a way to resolve the disparities and problems by simple understanding and toleration. Toleration doesn't mean an end to arguments. Why? Because democracy isn't built on 'cooperation', it's built on confrontation. It's built on drawing a line in the sand and knocking the living shit out of anyone, anyone, who steps over it. And knowing that when it comes to a time for accounting those fellow citizens will support your choice. Why? Because the initiation of force (ie stepping over the line) is NEVER JUSTIFIED FOR ANY REASON. EVER. When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. There is one, and only one 'truth' about human society. The buck stops with the individual citizen. ____________________________________________________________________ Beware gentle knight, there is no greater monster than reason. Miguel de Cervantes The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage@ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------