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From: orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Reply to Sevener on Property Rights
Message-ID: <550@whuts.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 19-Feb-86 10:04:42 EST
Article-I.D.: whuts.550
Posted: Wed Feb 19 10:04:42 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Feb-86 09:04:09 EST
References: <1691@bbncca.ARPA> <536@whuts.UUCP> <1636@ihlpg.UUCP> <540@whuts.UUCP> <1641@ihlpg.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 37

> > Just as the governmental authorities in the
> > past used their authority to shoot and kill strikers.  Just as ........
> > [Many more irrelevencies omitted]
> --------
> Gee Tim, once you get going, you can't stop, even if you stray from
> what we were talking about.  You are an inveterate polemicist.
> Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL  ihnp4!ihlpg!tan

It is hardly irrelevant when talking about the denial of current civil
rights and the threat this may pose in the future to point out that
such things have happened in the past.  Most Americans are never
taught the history of the labor struggle in this country.  How
company towns controlled every aspect of people's lives and made a profit
on every aspect of their lives.  For example, one company town paid their
workers with scrip that could *only* be used in company stores.
How workers were shot and killed in
the defense of the rights of private property. How workers were fired
and worse for distributing pro-union literature on private property.
During the Palmer Raids unionists and socialists were rounded up
and arrested for "subversion".  Many were placed in prisons for years.
During the McCarthy era many people were fired and blacklisted
for simply *knowing* somebody who was a Communist or leftist.
 
The replacement of public town squares with privately owned malls
poses the same challenge again: which will be respected, people's
basic civil rights of freedom of speech or the rights of private
property?
I believe in the end that this country *will* follow its deep
democratic traditions and protect people's rights to freedom of
speech over private property's rights of repression.  Just as
we finally did in respecting workers' rights to distribute literature
on private property and workers rights to strike.
But it will not happen without effort.  And it is part of the
ongoing struggle to increase democracy as was done during the union
movement and the civil rights movement. THAT is why history is relevant.
 
         tim sevener   whuxn!orb