RE: Objective Standards

["Tom Hansen" <thansen@moscow.com>]

Greeting Visionaires -

Just a footnote.

The Constitution of the United States of America is the oldest active
constitution in the world.

Not bad for winging it,

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

-----Original Message-----
From: Joan Opyr [mailto:auntiestablishment@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 6:08 PM
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: RE: Objective Standards


David Douglas wrote:
>If anything, the constitution lets us "wing it" on a slower time scale,
>which puts the winging it back to the initial and any subsequent
>constitutional convention, the ammendment process, and the judicial
>process.  And even then, the legislative and administrative branches >can
>make laws (for a short time or a life time depending on whether >there is a
>challenge--and it is sucessful).  How does this solution >keep us from
>"winging it"?

You're assuming the "it" we don't have to wing is the establishment of an
ethical system for the nation.  I intended my "it" to refer to the process
of reconciling contradictory religious perspectives.

The constitution is an evolving document.  If it weren't, it would
eventually lose its relevance.  The body of laws by which we are governed is
also constantly changing.  Laws attempt to enforce a particular social
contract, a contract which changes over time and across generations.
(Blacks were once held as slaves; women were denied the vote.  Knowing they
lacked the gift of prophecy, Jefferson and company established an amendment
process.)  I don't think that's winging it.  Our system of governance is not
based on an unchanging and eternal document, and for that I am grateful.

In his post, Doug Jones seemed to conflate law and ethics; there's a
difference between the two.  It might be legal for a CEO to cash out
millions in stock options as his/her company falls into bankruptcy, but I
would consider it unethical.  I'd like it to be illegal as well, but for
that I must turn to the democratic/legislative process.

Auntie E.,
AKA Joan Opyr

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