Originally posted by pipz
Funny how many of our problems can be trased back to this trend.
Pipz
Generally, it's why most wars are started! I don't like getting into why IRAQ was started, we still have folks in harms way over there, but funny how wars always make super-rich people more rich, and poor people dead!
Machiavelli laid it out in his writings:
"...the governments of the people are better than those of princes." Book I, Chapter LVIII Prince being a dictator or single ruler and later accepted as "government" as a sole authority, even in a shared power form of government like our own(being that unjust laws can also be invoked without a popular vote).
"...if we compare the faults of a people with those of princes, as well as their respective good qualities, we shall find the people vastly superior in all that is good and glorious." Book I, Chapter LVIII
"For government consists mainly in so keeping your subjects that they shall be neither able nor disposed to injure you...." Book II, Chapter XXIII
"Doubtless these means [of attaining power] are cruel and destructive of all civilized life, and neither Christian nor even human, and should be avoided by every one. In fact, the life of a private citizen would be preferable to that of a king at the expense of the ruin of so many human beings." Book I, Chapter XXVI
It is Niccolo Machiavelli's writings that have influenced all governments since, and his writings were a result of his first hand experiences of how the powers that be, stayed in power. I refer to how his writings are now viewed:
The pejorative term Machiavellian, as it is used today, describes one who deceives and manipulates others for gain; whether the gain is personal or not is of no relevance, only that any actions taken are only important insofar as they affect the results.
Governments around the world still use the same fundamental strategies to control or manipulate the people they are governing. It is abundant throughout the history of civilization. One way is to instill mass fear in the peoples, claim you are here to protect them from that fear, and then basically take anything you want from them and they will be glad to give it to you! We can relate this to the taking of our right to the pursuit of happiness. If one finds happiness in their own home, by smoking a joint or eating pot brownies, it is then their own right, and should never, ever be tampered with by government.
I will relate it to the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol is legal, and many people know when and how to use alcohol to obtain happiness. In the same reguards, there are many who abuse alcohol, and in turn, cause damage to themselves and others. Yet alcohol is legal on the basis that most people are smart enough to know when and how to obtain happiness using alcohol without endangering themselves and others. On the other hand, tetrahydrocannibinol used in moderation, has no scientific or medically documented negative health effects on the user, especially if ingested in non-smoke form. So, for a government to scare people into believing that they, themselves, are not smart enough to know when and how to use cannabis as a means to obtain happiness, is an abuse of that government and should not be allowed by the people who support that government. The peoples right to self determination, and the pursuit of happiness, should always have precedence over unfounded and uneccesary governmental control!
I think I drank too much coffee before writing this, that can't be good for me............lets outlaw coffee!:aok I bet coca cola sales would skyrocket! hee hee:D
Mark
