[clue-talk] The War On...?

[Jed S. Baer]

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 20:59:30 -0700
Jeff Cann wrote:

> It's 
> when the government [which we the citizens grant powers to] acts in ways
> that are not in concert with the moral concensus of the citizens.

Oh, I shudder at being subject to law based on "moral consensus". Sounds
too much like "tyranny of the majority" to me. There is far to much
disagreement over what is "moral". There's a huge body of philosophy
involved in resolving that question. It's too much the slippery fish. Case
in point -- extreme yes -- but illustrative. Dr. Jack Kevorkian believes,
IIRC, that it is moral to help people end their suffering by committing
suicide. I could cite other examples, but I hope that after you think
about it, that you'll agree that consensus does not define just or right.

And this is why I much prefer that law be rooted in natural rights. There
is a firm philosophical foundation. I'll come back to it later. Right now,
I think sleep is good.

re. citizens granting powers to the govt.: again, I refer to Bastiat.
Question: Why do goverments have power to do things which we would never
tolerate from individuals? Case in point, eminent domain: legalized theft
when enough people decide it's "for the public good". Was Mr. Spock right?
"The need of the many, outweighs the need of the one, or the few." Was
Gene Rodenberry a socialist? Do I need to stop now?
Aaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee.

jed
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