The "human rights" culture.
Human rights. Yeah, right. As I see it, there's no such thing as a universal human right. Rights, whatever category of right you care to name, are rights -- privileges, entitlements, whatever -- which any given society or group confers on its own members. Thus, members of golf clubs have particular rights peculiar to the membership, nightclubs "reserve the right to refuse admission", the Freedom of Information Act gives us the right to access certain information and UK citizens have the right to vote in UK general elections and so on.
No rights are automatic, self-evident rights: they are all the result of particular groups or societies defining the rights of their members. It is only by agreeing to abide by and conform with the rules of those societies that we are accepted as members OF those societies and groups. Failure – or refusal – to "follow the rules" will normally result in penalties or exclusion from that group.
Within those groups and societies -- from the Students Union to the Bar Council, the golf club to the United Nations -- we define rules of eligibility and conduct and agree general or specific limitations to those rights and we pass laws to explicitly deny certain rights -- the right to help ourselves to other people's property, to hurt or damage other people, animals, property etc. Many of those rights do not exist in other countries and indeed, some other countries give their citizens rights that here would be strictly illegal -- the right to carry a rifle, to own slaves, to treat animals or other humans in ways we would consider distinctly cruel or barbaric, for example. We extend to everyone in this country some rights simply by virtue of being here. The right to wander the public highway, for example, to pursue their own religion, to choose one's own partner and so on. Indeed, we have the right to dress as we please, even to go naked (without outraging public decency, of course) without necessarily inviting visits from sexual predators! It's why we like to think of ourselves as a "free society". It's increasingly under threat.
Within those parameters specifically defined by a nation to protect itself and its members in general, laws and rules are made for that purpose, such as those dealing with terrorism, extremism and the preaching of sedition. We elect parliaments, giving them the power to make laws that govern the way we live, extract money from us and commit us as a society to international undertakings or even wars. But those powers themselves are not irrevocable and they can be withdrawn if and when the electorate decide.
Some of our citizens' rights are surrendered voluntarily when, for example, joining the Armed Forces and agreeing to submit to the military code of the UK, Queen's Regulations.
Criminals can forfeit many of their rights as a consequence of their actions. They may well forfeit their freedom and spend time in prison. (Oh, and there is no "human right" to comfort! Or TV!). The greater the offence committed, the more rights are forfeited by the criminal – and for longer. Some consider that the best deterrent for would-be criminals who go armed and quite prepared to take someone else's life in order to get what they want, should be the distinct possibility that they will face the same consequence for themselves -- execution. That really WOULD be a "quid pro quo"!
Underlying all this is the concept of accountability. There is a quid pro quo in society that affects everything. We are responsible for our actions. Nobody else is, as a general rule. It used to be generally understood that if it was your fault that something went wrong, you would be subject to some adverse consequence. When you think about it, that's a distinctly Newtonian proposition -- nothing is without consequence or reciprocal, whether it is payment, an exchange of obligations, debt incurred, favour returned and so on.. The legal profession has changed everything however: today , nobody is responsible for anything. Ever. We have a new Moral Relativism.
We have developed a culture of dependency and a moral code which seems to make every moral judgement subject to an appraisal based on its financial impact, or possibly any legal precedents, or maybe prevailing European law – and the idea that somehow, blame can be shared. Today, everything is somebody else's fault -- the girl was dressed provocatively and she led me on with her flirting so it's her fault really, claims the rapist's legal team and you know that somewhere, some idiot judge or jury will buy that defence. Increasingly, we have the "cultural offence" bandwagon. In nearly every case, the offence appears to be given by the "host" culture and the offence taken by representatives of a newer, "alien" culture.
We are all "victims" of something or other, or somebody or other, apparently. New causes of our victimhood are constantly being discovered. If it isn't something that somebody said some time that somehow offended us and hurt our feelings (even if we weren't aware of the crime at the time), it will be a new crime definition. Currently, "race" and "hate" crimes are "fashionable". What next? I'm sure there are lawyers or political activists somewhere, working it out. Be warned: lawyers will be involved – that means it will be expensive for the "perpetrators" and profitable for the lawyers.
Wednesday, April 06, 2016
Monday, April 04, 2016
The truth about Islam. It's NOT a religion of peace.
This post is not one of my own. I've copied it here simply because it's the best way to broadcast its existence via Twitter. It's frighteningly relevant to today's situation, with our politicians locked in a culture of denial about the reality of the threats facing us and our culture's future.
This is one of the best explanations of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a psychiatrist. A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.
'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come.'
'My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'
'We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is a religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.'
'The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.'
'The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China 's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.'
'The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet. And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?
'History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, We often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: peace-loving Muslims Have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our Enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.'
'Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.'
'Now Islamic prayers have been introduced in Toronto and other public schools in Ontario, and, yes, in Ottawa, too, while the Lord's Prayer was removed (due to being so offensive?). The Islamic way may be peaceful for the time being in our country until the fanatics move in.'
'In Australia, and indeed in many countries around the world, many of the most commonly consumed food items have the halal emblem on them. Just look at the back of some of the most popular chocolate bars, and at other food items in your local supermarket. Food on aircraft have the halal emblem just to appease the privileged minority who are now rapidly expanding within the nation's shores.'
'In the U.K, the Muslim communities refuse to integrate and there are now dozens of "no-go" zones within major cities across the country that the police force dare not intrude upon. Sharia law prevails there, because the Muslim community in those areas refuse to acknowledge British law.'
'As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts - the fanatics who threaten our way of life.'
Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand.
Extend yourself a bit and send this on. Let us hope that thousands world-wide read this, think about it, and send it on before it's too late, and we are silenced because we were silent!!
This is one of the best explanations of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a psychiatrist. A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.
'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come.'
'My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'
'We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is a religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.'
'The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.'
'The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China 's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.'
'The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet. And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?
'History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, We often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: peace-loving Muslims Have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our Enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.'
'Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.'
'Now Islamic prayers have been introduced in Toronto and other public schools in Ontario, and, yes, in Ottawa, too, while the Lord's Prayer was removed (due to being so offensive?). The Islamic way may be peaceful for the time being in our country until the fanatics move in.'
'In Australia, and indeed in many countries around the world, many of the most commonly consumed food items have the halal emblem on them. Just look at the back of some of the most popular chocolate bars, and at other food items in your local supermarket. Food on aircraft have the halal emblem just to appease the privileged minority who are now rapidly expanding within the nation's shores.'
'In the U.K, the Muslim communities refuse to integrate and there are now dozens of "no-go" zones within major cities across the country that the police force dare not intrude upon. Sharia law prevails there, because the Muslim community in those areas refuse to acknowledge British law.'
'As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts - the fanatics who threaten our way of life.'
Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand.
Extend yourself a bit and send this on. Let us hope that thousands world-wide read this, think about it, and send it on before it's too late, and we are silenced because we were silent!!
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