From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Neil Francis writes, << But if - say - 70% of the country find it distasteful
- does it become reasonable to look at preventing that activity from being
engaged in? >>
This is a profoundly illiberal attitude, and a reminder of all the stuff
we've heard about gun ownership in recent years.
It is all the more alarming because it echoes the kind of crudely populist
definition of "democracy" which one hears being mouthed by lots of people who
should know better, such as the "great & good" types on Any Questions the
other day, who it seems would happily impose the most draconian restrictions
on the Internet in order, they say, to catch paedophiles. Reminds one of the
"war on drugs" and the frighteningly repressive (and expensive) measures
taken by governments everywhere in order, they say, to save us from the
bogeyman of drugs...
The implication of suggesting that our democracy is based upon nothing more
than a crude show of hands is that if 70 percent of those polled think
shoplifters should be summarily crucified, then we should do it. What a
delightfully civilised vision of society. The fact is that people have hunted
since the dawn of humanity, it's the most natural thing in the world, and if
individuals choose not to hunt - minnows or rhinos, it's all the same -
that's their decision but they shouldn't try to coerce others into following
their example. Liberty is the most precious thing there is, and one of the
nastiest aspects of our time is the disturbing number of people who happily
propose radical curtailments of others' freedom.
I don't care if 99 percent of the population dislikes fox hunting - something
I don't take part in - since the tyranny of a majority is no more acceptable
than that of an individual despot.
Anthony Harrison
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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