----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Fitch" <gcf at panix.com>
>
> Not quite -- the individuals could be endowed with rights by
> God, by a state, or by common agreement among them. But if
> the states are sovereign there is no one but God to provide
> them with rights.
===========
The individuals endow the state with rights-by delegating 'authority'
to represent them and be held to account; the social contract. Rights
talk lowers the costs to each individual of protection from
others-bullies etc.
> Speech doesn't require rights.
==========
Unpopular, as well as other, speech needs protection; rights talk is
the cheapest way to afford protection-epistemically and economically.
>
> I realize this seems very abstruse, but I am trying to
> reason my way into dealing with the current situation, and
> less radical approaches seem to end up in the same place,
> the ladder of force which goes only one way -- to the
> gallows, after which we dance on air. But maybe we are
> already in the grip of that tragic necessity and I should
> quit thinking about it.
>
=======
You might be confusing the logically compelling dimensions of the
ladder theory with the, as yet, indeterminate medium term consequences
of the actual situation. We can't know the future on this one and
that, on top of our collective confusion and frustration as to how we
can be effective participants in bringing about some outcomes
consistent with left norms, gives us all frayed neurons and leads to
the totally unnecessary circular firing squads. Our confusion and
sorrow should be pointing us in the direction of some patience with
each other. We have not unlearned the firing squad rituals we get into
every time a tragedy may or may not present an opportunity for us to
put forth our best ideas and that very ritual virtually assures us of
not putting our best ideas forward to a wider audience.
Ian
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It
helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons,
but at the very least you need a beer."
- Frank Zappa