Forwarded message:

From: jbugden@smtplink.alis.ca Date: Fri, 02 Aug 96 11:19:52 EST Subject: RE: Tolerance (fwd)

Jim Choate <ravage@einstein.ssz.com> wrote:

...

Libertarian views should be basicaly if it doesn't harm anothers person or property without their prior consent then it should be legal and >permissible.

It is important to consider cultural factors when deciding how groups will react to differing standards of legal and permissible actions. For example, a brief summary of the basic tenets held by some different European cultures are given below:

British: Everything is permitted, unless it is forbidden. German: Everything is forbidden, unless it is permitted. France: Everything is permitted, especially if it is forbidden.

Culture has nothing to do with inherent civil liberities, you have them simply for being alive. People create social contracts to limit those rights. You have the cart before the horse. Jim Choate