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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2005-06-23

I'll Play Along

One of the local Lefty websites has posed the question to its readership “What do we stand for?” Joshua has already done good work writing up some of the obvious “beliefs” that we, on the right, see them espousing. And while it would be amusing (not to mention easy) to continue on the same path, I have chosen to articulate what I believe in, right alongside my impression of what the Left stands for. And I thought a good point of departure for this little exercise might be the quintessential American statement of beliefs: the Bill of Rights. Note: not all of the amendments work for this little exercise, so I’ll limit myself to those that do. (Lefty Stands in italics)

AMENDMENT 1: I Stand For the free exercise right of all persons to express and to act upon their Religious Beliefs in any setting, forum, or manner as they see appropriate, within the limits of the law; further, I stand for the entirely appropriate recognition by state, local, and private entities of the Judeo-Christian heritage which informed our founding fathers and which is the basis for our system of laws.

We Stand For the free exercise of Religion, as long we don’t have to hear, read, see or in any way be exposed to another person’s beliefs, or be subject to them making decisions informed by their beliefs; further, we stand for the need of our public institutions to expose and inform our citizenry of Religious traditions which are NOT of the Judeo-Christian heritage, and to enforce on the public an artificial and arbitrary balancing of institutions to reflect the variety of Religious beliefs, though not the plurality of believers.

I Stand For the right of citizens, the press, and private institutions to say, write, publish or otherwise express whatever they feel, think or believe, so long as they do not endanger the public or damage national security; I further believe that the limit on restrictions and repercussions of speech applies only to governmental bodies, not to private citizens and organizations.

We Stand For the right of government to decide what is and is not dangerous in speech, thought, and activity, and to impose whatever limits and sanctions upon whatever individuals and organizations are necessary to establish a respectful, diverse and fair society.

AMENDMENT 2: I Stand For the right of citizens to responsibly keep and bear firearms; consistent with maintenance of public safety, certain types of weaponry should be limited to military and police personnel.

We Stand For the right of the government to decide who can be trusted with what types of firearms.

AMENDMENT 5: I Stand For the right of individuals to own property, and not to be subject to seizure for public use, even when said public use is for private redevelopment deemed beneficial to the community

We Stand For the right of the government to use, purchase, seize, or otherwise take control of land for whatever purpose it deems necessary, the private ownership of land and property being the primary means of perpetuating the economic disparities evident in society

AMENDMENT 6: I Stand For the right of persons to a speedy and public trial, excepting when said persons are engaged in acts of war against the United States, and can be expected to take up arms against this country again.

We Stand For the right of all persons to a speedy and public trial, in spite of the possibility of open trials damaging national security

AMENDMENT 8: I Stand For the proposition that, the American Justice system serving a necessary punitive function in society, “Cruel and Unusual Punishments” do not include discomfort, denial of internet access, cable television, or advanced education, or incarceration that limits contact with the rest of humanity

We Stand For the proposition that no person is so irredeemable, no crime so heinous, that the perpetrator should not have treatment consistent with the earliest possible return to society, except when that person’s crime may involve racism, sexism, religious bias, or other attitudes inconsistent with a diverse society (except when said racism or religious bias is directed at the majority groups in American society)

AMENDMENTS 9 and 10: I Stand For the right of the people, through its electoral processes and legislatures, to define and determine those rights not enumerated specifically in this Constitution.

We Stand For the right of the Court System to determine and invent those rights not enumerated in this Constitution.

I have a feeling this won't be the last post on this topic.
Posted by: Michael / 6/23/2005 10:38:00 PM

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