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Old 05-18-2004, 01:13 AM
Demosthenes Demosthenes is offline
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Default Un-alienable rights and Gov't consistency

I understand that when it comes to Gov't there are no simple solutions. In almost every case that we discuss on this forum, there are nuances that most of us don't even know exist. None of us know what is going to happen in the future, and what is beautiful about this sight is that we get to deabte about things that have already happened or get to debate the decisions of others when they might not have had the info we have now when they made that decision. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Making decisions is a major part of what being a leader is. Being able to make the choice that may not be popular b/c that is what you believe, or making the choice that no one else is willing to make and then be slammed b/c you may have made the wrong decision. And I do believe, with few excpetions, that a wrong decision is better than no decision.
However, I am looking for consistency. If we are going to criticize nations like China for Human Rights, or Middle Eastern Nations for their treatment of women, thenwe must practice what we preach. In light of what has come to pass in the AB prison and maybe others, many have said that this is war and the Geneva convention does not apply to those prisoners or the ones in Cuba. Forget the geneva convention, these people are human aren't they? If we truly believe that all humans have equal, unalienable rights, then we should not tolerate this kind of behavior. If I have the right to marry who I want to marry, then why can't a gay person marry who they want to marry. Whether you condone homosexuality or not, don't they have the same unalienable rights to pursue happiness just as everyone else? If we are willing to fight evil in the Middle East, where there is precious amounts of oil, shouldn't we be willing to fight genocide in Africa where there are virtually no natural resources?
I am an American who feels that the rights guranteed to me in the US are not just for Americans. The rights we value here are just as valuable to everyone else in the world. If we truly believe that Americans are privelaged in our freedoms and rights, and we truly believe that all men are equal, then we cannot refuse rights that we cherish to someone whois not American just b/c they are from another place. Being born somewhere else makes a person no less human, thus makes their rights as a human no less unalienable than our own.
So I beg you to stand up and say that we will no longer hide behind the geneva convention, or nationality. What we gurantee to Americans we should not deny to others. The rights we cherish do not only apply to those whole live under our flag, they belong to everyone. What is wrong to do to Americans, is wrong to do to anyone else.
And please, leave God out of this. If you disagree with something for religious reason, then just realize that not everyone has the same religious beliefs and no one belief is better than anyone elses. Let's have an intelligent, non-secular discussion, please.

-Demosthenes
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"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
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