[geeks] education systems around the world

Jonathan C. Patschke jp at celestrion.net
Sat Oct 25 13:42:11 CDT 2008


On Sat, 25 Oct 2008, Mike Meredith wrote:

> I'm not sure why you're blaming the UN for the cost of this right.

I'm not.  I'm blaming the UN for diluting the word "right" by applying it
to nonsense like this.

I believe that people have two rights, but they are very expansive:

   I.    All humans have the right to assert control (and accept the
         consequences of that control) over their lives, their bodies,
         their minds, and their properties, so long as it causes no other
         human damage to his body, mind, life or property without informed
         consent.

   II.   All humans have their right to defend their rights from
         infringement, or surrender them, should they see fit.
         Consequently, all humans have the right to defend their lives,
         bodies, minds, and properties from damage to which they did not
         consent.

You can synthesize a lot from that: freedom of speech, equality on the
basis of religion or heritage, etc.

The right to a free anything that requires effort from someone else,
however, doesn't follow.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke | "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Elgin, TX         |                                   --Mahatma Gandhi
USA               |



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