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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!stolaf!umn-cs!digi-g!brian
From: brian@digi-g.UUCP (Merlyn Leroy)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: What's a person?
Message-ID: <534@digi-g.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 1-Apr-85 16:28:06 EST
Article-I.D.: digi-g.534
Posted: Mon Apr  1 16:28:06 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 6-Apr-85 02:21:59 EST
References: <1597@bmcg.UUCP> <233@tilt.FUN> <676@unmvax.UUCP> <240@tilt.FUN> <unmvax.691> <1426@dciem.UUCP> <785@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA> 1 Apr 85 21:28:06 GMT
Reply-To: brian@digi-g.UUCP (brian)
Distribution: net
Organization: Digigraphic Systems Corp., Mpls, MN
Lines: 44
Summary: 

mwm@ucbtopaz.UUCP (Mike the Hun) writes:
>>>While they [founding fathers] didn't manage to turn out a truly libertarian
>>>state, they did manage to keep the US from using force to make people
>>>contribute to its idea of "good," at least temporarily.

>>Like slavery?

>Let's not pick nits. Let us speak of attempted genocide.
>
>The thing is, neither blacks nor indians were "people" (read: citizens)
>early in the history of the US. As such, they didn't have any rights to
>be violated. Taking into account the differences in "person" of the
>time, I'll still stand by my claim.
>
> [various irrelevant stuff about sentience omitted]
>
>	<mike

Oh, you mean blacks & indians really WEREN'T people back then?
It's all a matter of wordplay!!!
Surprise!  Black Is White!  Freedom Is Slavery!  Ignorance Is Mike!
See Mike Fail His Own Definition Of "Sentient"!  Coming Next Week...

So, the early US was more libertarian because black & indians just weren't
citizens.  (you forgot women (they couldn't vote, remember?)).  If I define
citizen as "People named Brian Forbes Westley" I could set up a real dandy
Libertarian state, I betcha.  And poor old Mr. Mike couldn't complain,
because he just doesn't fit the definition.  But it's LIBERTARIAN!!
Shouldn't this be UTOPIA for you, Mr. Mike?

No Need to Explore the Moon! Just Define Wisconsin to BE the Moon, and
drive there!  (It's got plenty of green cheese!)

-------------
To everyone not in the set [<mike]:
Sorry this posting was so flippant, but Mr. Mike's article was so irrational
that I couldn't construct a reasonable reply.  This is a chronic problem I
have with his ravings.

Merlyn Leroy
"...a dimension between shallow and substance, between science and
superficial, a place we call...The Usenet Zone"

PS: Yes, it's my real middle name.