RE: Shots fired in Dallas of mohammed cartoons.
May 6, 2015 at 4:40 am
(This post was last modified: May 6, 2015 at 5:58 am by Hatshepsut.)
I like freedom of speech but in reality we have it in the USA only because our government chooses to permit it right now. There's nothing inviolable about "rights," which are after all just things the government agrees to abide by. The government's agents have the guns and ultimately the say on what the rules for life will be. Those rules can change quickly in a political crisis. You can bet the minute top officials in the U.S. government begin worrying about the security of their hold on power, free speech will go out the window and people who say the wrong things will risk getting shot. I see a lot of air-headed naivety on this subject matter.
In the U.S. we've really been lucky to have a strong central government with unquestioned sway over most of a continent. While this alone doesn't guarantee "rights" will emerge (consider China which also owns half a continent), it is an important prerequisite. None of the unstable, conflict-torn African countries have meaningful rights regimens. Those small countries like Denmark that do grant rights also have security by being in alliances like NATO. I think we're correct to treasure our long-running constitutional tradition of respect for freedom of speech, but that we should realize that this rests on more than the force of ideal: only the platform of a stable government can provide an environment where rights flourish. Events like the Dallas shooting, if they become too common, could threaten that needed tranquility.
In the U.S. we've really been lucky to have a strong central government with unquestioned sway over most of a continent. While this alone doesn't guarantee "rights" will emerge (consider China which also owns half a continent), it is an important prerequisite. None of the unstable, conflict-torn African countries have meaningful rights regimens. Those small countries like Denmark that do grant rights also have security by being in alliances like NATO. I think we're correct to treasure our long-running constitutional tradition of respect for freedom of speech, but that we should realize that this rests on more than the force of ideal: only the platform of a stable government can provide an environment where rights flourish. Events like the Dallas shooting, if they become too common, could threaten that needed tranquility.
