Look at How Many Lives it Saves
Posted: Friday, July 10, 2009
by Terry Mitchell
http://commenterry.blogs.com
"But look at how many lives it saves." That's a common retort from many people when someone criticizes something like water boarding or mandatory seatbelt laws. In my mind, however, that's never a justification – no matter how many lives are saved. I'm sorry if this offends someone, but I believe one should be willing to die rather than have his own or someone else's inalienable rights violated.
Another troubling fact about government "life saving" measures is that one can never be sure how far they will go or where they will end. We already have stuff like the aforementioned water boarding and forced usage of seatbelts in addition to mandatory motorcycle helmets and child safety equipment along with intrusive public smoking restrictions. But there's no reason to believe advocates of government-mandated safety and security will stop there.
In the near future, individual freedom will be further eroded by forced limitations on everyone's fat, sugar, and sodium intake. Again, the rallying cry for passage of such laws would be the amount of lives they would save. Why, it's a proven fact, you know. There's all kinds of medical evidence.
And don't be surprised if, some day, there will be underwear checkpoints to verify that people are complying with local, state, and federal regulations governing such matters. After all, we wouldn't anyone going around with underwear that is unsafe.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Hi Terry."I'm sorry if this offends someone, but I believe one should be willing to die rather than have his own or someone else's inalienable rights violated." I'm not at all offended by your statement. I do believe that we should work to maintain our liberties and freedoms, but I am not sure we should die trying. That takes us right out of the equation and negates any future contributions we might make.But I do understand your sentiment and support it.Thanks for sharing your thoughts,DianneDianne, thanks for being one of my most dependable readers.
Terry, always an interesting read. I enjoy delving into your thought processes no matter how they differ from mine. I liked your sarcastic wit in this piece, too. About the underwear, those saggy pants makes them mandatory, even if unsafe! *grin*Avis, I think we agree more often than we disagree. :-) But anyway, I'm glad you still enjoy my articles, even when you don't agree with everything I have to say. I also enjoy reading articles authored by those whose viewpoints differ from mine. There are lots of people in the world who can't do that.Oh for sure, Terry. We agree far more than disagree, I feel, too. It may just be one statement not the entire text. And you're right, not many people care to read other authors if they have an opposing opinion. Knowing how others think improves communication, it shouldn't silence it. (Admittedly, the silence can be a good thing in some instances.) *laughing softly*
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