Absolved from All Allegiance
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”[Link]
‘The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.”
From time to time I like to reread those stirring words, largely crafted by Thomas Jefferson, that say so much about the coercive tyranny of government in general, but in particular of the British government at that time. It gladdens my heart at how we finally invited them to depart from our ground albeit with the aid of military force and determination.
Now, it seems that they still practice the same oppression upon their own. I read that the British government wants to impose a Code of Conduct on bloggers.[Link] This code of conduct is already notorious for being the contemporary form of government censorship of the press and has largely reduced the content of said media to scandal and titillation.
The excuse given for this proposal is the prevention of libel and and the general imposition of political correctness. The actuality sounds much more like suppression of dissent and discussion. One wonders if the next action will be the reintroduction of the Star Chamber? People complain in blogs assuredly, but few represent any danger to society. Rather much the opposite: they promote healthy discourse or if their rhetoric is offensive or irrelevant, it is ignored.
Why is such an avowed capitalist nation state so insecure in the efficacy of the market?
Sadly, it is all too easy to imagine the United States following in their wake, especially now as the antiquated relevancy of the current political parties creaks and moans its way towards collapse.
