(urth) (no subject)

[Jeff Wilson]

brunians at brunians.org wrote:
>> brunians at brunians.org wrote:
>>> Property rights are sacred, unalienable and a matter of faith.
> 
>>> You believe in them or you don't. Attempt to violate mine at your peril.
> 
>> I am so pleased to see you turn out in favor of native title!
> 
> It is the standard Jeffersonian position:
> 
> ___
> We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal,
>                            ^^^^ ^^^^^^^
> that they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable Rights,
> that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
> ---

And yet, he continued to own slaves, to keep men made by that same 
Creator from their liberty and their pursuit of happiness for *fifty 
years* after he wrote those words. Who could take such a moral criminal 
seriously?

> As I have mentioned, this list is not exclusive, and the original list
> that Brother Thomas came up with had 'property' instead of 'the pursuit of
> happiness'. People have argued from that day to this one whether the
> substitution was felicitous.
> 
> I have no idea what you mean by 'native title'. Perhaps you will choose to
> enlighten me: in any case I wish you joy of your superior knowledge.

briefly, that native peoples can retain an interest in the land that 
survives redistribution by colonizing polities.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >