Subject:
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Re: One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 3 Jul 2002 16:41:53 GMT
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Viewed:
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4319 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, John Neal writes:
> I define "greatest" by how a country treats its citizens. The people of the US
> of A are the freest people in the world, and *that* is what makes us the
> greatest. The fact that we are the greatest economic, military, and cultural
> presence on earth is only a testament to that fact, not reasons for it.
> We are great because we are free, and we are the greatest because we are the
> freest.
>
> God bless America!
>
> -John
OK, against my better judgement I'm going to wade in here. Thank you John
for providing your very simple method of calculating greatness (with which I
do not agree but I think coming up with a formula for such a thing would be
like nailing blancmange to a wall and is in any case unnecessary as
international diplomacy, like a relationship on a more personal level, is
better served by not claiming you are better but just different)
The United States of America was established at a time when political
philosophy in Europe had reached a level of enlightenment which meant that
when an opportunity presented itself to establish a brand new state, that
state could start out with the best basis possible. It would have been
impossible for those philosophers to change their own countries due to the
weight of tradition and history but given a clean slate their ideas could be
tried out, that's what the US is, basically a state born from other states
mistakes.
That leads me to an interesting conclusion - a state born from the US could
improve on the mistakes made in 1776-89. Is there one? Well funnily enough
yes. Liberia.
The Liberian Consitution is based on the US one but the country has less
laws and has avoided 'entangling alliances'. I would therefore suggest its
citizens are freer than those of the US. (unfortunately a heck of a lot of
looking has not turned up a copy of the Liberian Constitution on the Net, I
will persevere)
Over to you John to prove, based only on the laws of that country, that
Liberians are less free than citizens of the US.
Simon
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