i am specifically advocating the complete abolishment of slavery. the government has no right to hold business owners as slaves by making them pay whatever amount it has decided on. by what right, by what authority? a business should and must have complete discretion over its funds, or else it is owned by the state, no matter to what degree it is controlled. you are correct when you say that it is the governments responsibility to protect minorities. bear in mind, the smallest minority is the individual. the government is here to protect its individual citizens from physical violence and harm, not the prejudices of others (so long as those prejudices do not come to physical violence or coercion (such as slavery. the government stepped in, not to protect black people, but to protect individuals))
you mention abortion rights. abortion is murder, plain and simple (but in one case acceptable). in cases where the mother has been raped and is in physical danger if she were to give birth, the mother has the right to protect herself (abortion.) if a mother has been raped and can healthily give birth to the child, the mother has no right to harm the child. from the moment of conception, those cells are no longer at the sole discretion of the mother.
you state that individuals can not act however they choose, only think. of what use is thought without action? an individual CAN act however they choose, so long as those actions do not impose on the rights of others. your sole rights are your right to think and your right to be. you do not have the right to buy a product from a store which does not wish to sell it to you. you do not have the right to shelter. you do not have the right to food. all of these must be earned, and earned by the user.
"and if marriage were about reproduction then we wouldn't allow infertile couples to marry, we wouldn't allow 70 year olds to marry. it's about love. it just so happens that this country doesn't like one type of love and doesn't want to see it. period." an infertile couple may be fuck-buddies, but they should not receive the same benefits as those who will contribute to the country by bringing another individual into the world. the same goes for 70 year olds (although i doubt they're screwing much...unless...oh never mind, i don't want to get into that.) married couples receive benefits because it is assumed by the government that they will be supporting an individual who is otherwise helpless. gay people may love each other, but they should not receive the same benefits as people who are supporting a child. if you choose to support 5 homeless babies, is it then the governments job to do it for you? no, it is not even your responsibility, it is the responsibility of those who have chosen to bring the child into the world, and abdicated it. if you choose to spend money on a child which is not your responsibility, go ahead. don't ask every tax-payer in the country to take a hit for you though. now that i think of it, married couples shouldn't even receive benefits. they chose to have that child. i do not wish to pay for it. is the money i earn mine or the governments? the government should have no say in marriage. the government has no valid responsibilities besides the protection of its citizens (military, justice system, and police system.) i am now against government endorsement of gay marriage on the same grounds that i am against government endorsement and support of straight marriages. my apologies. involuntary taxation is wrong. it is the government claiming money (and, as a corollary, all property) as state property.
oh but james, the government was not designed to protect indiviuals. i know, we wish it were, and i've argued many times that it should but american political thought tends towards the minority group. i wish the government gave a shit about the individual but the way it is, we can only work within groups for protection.
and we will always disagree on abortion, bc i will never see it as murder. i believe that a fetus is not a child, it is an organism dependent on the mother and therefor part of the mother's body. but like i was saying, those are my thoughts, not yours and that's cool. i'm not trying to get everyone to have an abortion, i'm just ok with some people choosing to take that option. but i was making the point that abortion rights wouldn't come about without government, even though you disagree with both points, it is still an example.
and i meant that someone can't kill, hurt, restrict ect. another person because of how they feel. if that makes any sense to you.
also, i'm a big supporter of "all or nothing" when it comes to marriage. i just try to be optimistic with which choice our society would choose.
the american government WAS designed to protect individuals. but you're right when you say that (current) american political thought tends towards the minority group. but there is no such thing as rights that a group has which an individual does not. i do not believe that minorities should receive a benefit when it comes to getting into college (the u of m case.) but businesses have the right to provide or refuse service to whomever they wish. also, education should be completely privatized, because when a semi-private business (a state university) provides a service to some and not to all, there is a conflict of interests.
"i wish the government gave a shit about the individual but the way it is, we can only work within groups for protection." this is why i dislike civil rights groups. very very few groups work solely for the benefit of all, instead they focus on MORE rights for one group, and this is wrong. everybody should get together and focus on EQUAL rights for everybody. civil rights groups say "fuck the individual, we're here for the (black people, gay people, women, white people, whatever.) mlk jr. wanted EQUAL rights for everybody, but the most abused group at the moment was the black group. he was against government endorsement and enforcement of racism. current civil rights groups are in favor of racism (affirmative action, anyone?)
so a seed from a maple tree can become any type of tree? no, a seed from a maple tree IS a maple tree, in a reduced form. prove, genetically, that the cells of a fetus are identical to any other cell in the mothers body, and they will be the same being.
nobody can cause physical harm to another, THROUGH VIOLENCE. if i refuse to give a starving man a loaf of bread, i have done no wrong. i am not obligated to interact with him. i may restrict him from taking my bread, if i so please. you are correct when you say kill or hurt (if they are inflicted by violence), but not on restrict. i have full rights to my property. nobody else has any.
you our optimistic that the government will one day take your money and give it to a young couple who should not have been married, financially speaking, and "need" help? you are optimistic that the government will one day take your money and give it to a man whos only claim to it is that he has no claim to it (welfare)? involuntary taxation is wrong, it is theft, it is communism, it must be disbanded. the only valid government occupations are defense and justice. justice does not include taking from the earners and giving it to those who have not.
an "organism" dependent on the mother and therefore a "part of the mothers body." what kind of organism? is it a bacteria, fungi, protist, or a plant? because you obviously won't call it an animal. why isn't it an animal, i ask you (and bear in mind, when i refer to it as an animal, i assume you know i mean a human.) perhaps you believe it to be a parasite? afterall, it relies on the mothers body for nutrients, at the expense of the mother, right? it is a parasite, right, because it has no relation whatsoever to the mother, she caught it while swimming or working in a hospital. right? or perhaps you do believe it to be an animal, just not a separate one, only an extension of the mother? is that it? her body decided it needed another part, and started growing one? but it only wants it for a couple of months, after that it will pop out, because the mothers body has received all of the benefits it offers. wait, what benefits? it can't be an extension of the mothers body, because it is bad for it. or is a fetus a cancer? what is that cluster of cells omega? what is it? tell me what you call it, how you define a fetus, embryo, blastocyst, fertilized egg. define it, give it a rigid definition that prohibits it from being a human being. we both acknowledge that it is called a fetus, but you seem to hold that a fetus is a part of a mothers body (when really it is a separate organism (genetically proven.))
dude why are you mocking me? i don't see a fetus as a kid. get over it. it's not fully human yet, it doesn't have a concience, it can't live without the mothers body or some machine, it's not a baby in my eyes. yeah i know you don't see it the same, like i said we aren't gonna see it the same, oh well. yeah it is human cells but it isn't human.
and i would respond to the rest but it's been a long week and i have shit to do, don't you?
my apologies for mocking you, but i felt that i had to goad you to get you to respond (i'm impatient). but i have to ask, when does it become fully human? when it has a conscience? that means that you aren't fully human until you're several years old. or is it when you can live on your own? that, again, is not until you're several years old. so should women have the right to kill their babies until they can demonstate a knowledge of right and wrong, or the ability to fend for themselves?
i ask that you respond to the rest as soon as possible. i believe i have valid points, and you believe they are not. i have defended my position, you have not responded. please don't just give up. and yes, i have things to do, but this is an important discussion.
i'm not saying that you don't have valid points, i'm just saying that we aren't going to see eye to eye about it. i understand the position of those who are "pro-life" i just happen to disagree. at the moment i have too much homework/MA work/programs/vagina monologues/residents' problems to deal with for me to actually ponder a way to convey what i'm thinking onto this page. i'm sorry, but i really don't have the time right now, you are more than welcome to AIM me next weekend and i should have more free time but at the moment i really do have other things that are higher on my list of priorities.
you mention abortion rights. abortion is murder, plain and simple (but in one case acceptable). in cases where the mother has been raped and is in physical danger if she were to give birth, the mother has the right to protect herself (abortion.) if a mother has been raped and can healthily give birth to the child, the mother has no right to harm the child. from the moment of conception, those cells are no longer at the sole discretion of the mother.
you state that individuals can not act however they choose, only think. of what use is thought without action? an individual CAN act however they choose, so long as those actions do not impose on the rights of others. your sole rights are your right to think and your right to be. you do not have the right to buy a product from a store which does not wish to sell it to you. you do not have the right to shelter. you do not have the right to food. all of these must be earned, and earned by the user.
"and if marriage were about reproduction then we wouldn't allow infertile couples to marry, we wouldn't allow 70 year olds to marry. it's about love. it just so happens that this country doesn't like one type of love and doesn't want to see it. period." an infertile couple may be fuck-buddies, but they should not receive the same benefits as those who will contribute to the country by bringing another individual into the world. the same goes for 70 year olds (although i doubt they're screwing much...unless...oh never mind, i don't want to get into that.) married couples receive benefits because it is assumed by the government that they will be supporting an individual who is otherwise helpless. gay people may love each other, but they should not receive the same benefits as people who are supporting a child. if you choose to support 5 homeless babies, is it then the governments job to do it for you? no, it is not even your responsibility, it is the responsibility of those who have chosen to bring the child into the world, and abdicated it. if you choose to spend money on a child which is not your responsibility, go ahead. don't ask every tax-payer in the country to take a hit for you though. now that i think of it, married couples shouldn't even receive benefits. they chose to have that child. i do not wish to pay for it. is the money i earn mine or the governments? the government should have no say in marriage. the government has no valid responsibilities besides the protection of its citizens (military, justice system, and police system.) i am now against government endorsement of gay marriage on the same grounds that i am against government endorsement and support of straight marriages. my apologies. involuntary taxation is wrong. it is the government claiming money (and, as a corollary, all property) as state property.
omega, i have done you no wrong. do not be angry.
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and we will always disagree on abortion, bc i will never see it as murder. i believe that a fetus is not a child, it is an organism dependent on the mother and therefor part of the mother's body. but like i was saying, those are my thoughts, not yours and that's cool. i'm not trying to get everyone to have an abortion, i'm just ok with some people choosing to take that option. but i was making the point that abortion rights wouldn't come about without government, even though you disagree with both points, it is still an example.
and i meant that someone can't kill, hurt, restrict ect. another person because of how they feel. if that makes any sense to you.
also, i'm a big supporter of "all or nothing" when it comes to marriage. i just try to be optimistic with which choice our society would choose.
Reply
"i wish the government gave a shit about the individual but the way it is, we can only work within groups for protection." this is why i dislike civil rights groups. very very few groups work solely for the benefit of all, instead they focus on MORE rights for one group, and this is wrong. everybody should get together and focus on EQUAL rights for everybody. civil rights groups say "fuck the individual, we're here for the (black people, gay people, women, white people, whatever.) mlk jr. wanted EQUAL rights for everybody, but the most abused group at the moment was the black group. he was against government endorsement and enforcement of racism. current civil rights groups are in favor of racism (affirmative action, anyone?)
so a seed from a maple tree can become any type of tree? no, a seed from a maple tree IS a maple tree, in a reduced form. prove, genetically, that the cells of a fetus are identical to any other cell in the mothers body, and they will be the same being.
nobody can cause physical harm to another, THROUGH VIOLENCE. if i refuse to give a starving man a loaf of bread, i have done no wrong. i am not obligated to interact with him. i may restrict him from taking my bread, if i so please. you are correct when you say kill or hurt (if they are inflicted by violence), but not on restrict. i have full rights to my property. nobody else has any.
you our optimistic that the government will one day take your money and give it to a young couple who should not have been married, financially speaking, and "need" help? you are optimistic that the government will one day take your money and give it to a man whos only claim to it is that he has no claim to it (welfare)? involuntary taxation is wrong, it is theft, it is communism, it must be disbanded. the only valid government occupations are defense and justice. justice does not include taking from the earners and giving it to those who have not.
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or perhaps you do believe it to be an animal, just not a separate one, only an extension of the mother? is that it? her body decided it needed another part, and started growing one? but it only wants it for a couple of months, after that it will pop out, because the mothers body has received all of the benefits it offers. wait, what benefits? it can't be an extension of the mothers body, because it is bad for it. or is a fetus a cancer? what is that cluster of cells omega? what is it? tell me what you call it, how you define a fetus, embryo, blastocyst, fertilized egg. define it, give it a rigid definition that prohibits it from being a human being. we both acknowledge that it is called a fetus, but you seem to hold that a fetus is a part of a mothers body (when really it is a separate organism (genetically proven.))
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and i would respond to the rest but it's been a long week and i have shit to do, don't you?
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i ask that you respond to the rest as soon as possible. i believe i have valid points, and you believe they are not. i have defended my position, you have not responded. please don't just give up. and yes, i have things to do, but this is an important discussion.
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spending 10 minutes typing a response is not going to break your schedule. i will IM you sometime.
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