The Structure of a Society

Did you know that there is no jurisdiction on the planet where it is illegal for a politician to lie to a voter?

In the handful of 'exceptions' to that rule, there is no penalty for breaking it.

In the grand scheme of things, however, I'm not so sure this is a bad thing. If it were illegal for a politician to lie, it would mean that politician A had been given the power to jail politician B.

Now, as much as I dislike both A and B (and C and D for that matter), and as much as the average voter had demonstrated over and over that they will swallow every lie their favorite politicians are willing to utter, giving them the power to jail each other is likely to produce the wrong kind of dictatorship.

The one we have now sucks, but it is tolerable and still has many little pockets of genuine freedom scattered about. Things could be a whole lot worse.

The only defence against politicians is a well-educated populace - so every time they tell us lies (ie: whenever their lips are moving) those of us who are well-enough-educated can call them out.

The press is supposed to be doing this, but few of them appear to be "well-enough-educated" AND possess the honesty and integrity to do it.

I'm not so sure.

It is easy to argue that we DO have a well educated populace - but <u>they don't want</u> to be free.

It's why (I claim) we are now living in a dictatorship. It is after all what we (Rs as well as Ds) keep voting for. It's not a nasty dictatorship, but that can and probably will change over time. Sigh.

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And I suppose that gets us back to reminder-time for my little pop quizzes:

#1. What is the most important difference between a dictatorship and a free society?

#2. What is the most important difference between the government of a dictatorship and the government of a free society?

Like the first quiz, the answer for #2 is not totally objective. I have dropped a few hints along the way about what I think is the 'right' answer but there is still room for opinions.

Regards,
LB

BTW - Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Or, to reach maximum inclusiveness for the holiday season (and to avoid angering the *ssh*l*s among us no doubt) some people say things like 'Happy <b>All Hallows Hanukah Thanks-Mas Quanza A New Saint Mom-Dad</b> Day'.

I guess I don't really get it. This inclusiveness thing. Some of us like this but not that, and others of us like that but not this. What's the problem? The world is big enough for all of us. Literally - we proved it mathematically near the top of this page. If you give me a greeting I don't like, I have the RIGHT to be offended and throw a fit (but not a fist). And you have the RIGHT to laugh at me. Or not. Your choice.

Oops, sorry - it would be your choice if we didn't live in a dictatorship. Sigh again.

LB, While on the topic you might want to begin a defense fund for Bob Dylan. He has been indited by a French court for insulting just about everyone.

We all have the God (Allah? - Elohim? - Buddha? - Self?) Given Right to various things. At least, this is what many of the believers among us claim. A moderately vigorous search of the Christian Bible fails to support this claim and reveals that others have also searched in vain. I suspect the same would be true of the Holy Books of the other religions.

The GGRs include IMO the Right to insult each other and the parallel Right to feel insulted by any d*mn thing we chose.

<ul>I would not mind living in a universe where GGRs actually existed. (IOW, in a universe where a god actually/physically existed. And could, therefore, actually DO things.)

If someone 'gives' you a right and then does not defend you when another person violates that right, has that someone actually given you anything?

Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness anyone? These Rights have been and continue to be violated on a regular basis. So - do we actually have them?</ul>But asserting that we have a Right is not the same as asserting that exercising this Right is a smart thing to do. Especially if you live in one of the modern dictatorships that is sensitive to groups that say they don't like to be insulted.

(Are you listening, Mr. Dylan?) France is similar to the USA in this respect - but a bit more extreme.

Regards,
LB