Hi, > > What many of us fear is the constant reduction of freedom > from the more serious socialists. The bans on firearms, > certain religious speech (Canada and Sweden in particular), a > general unwillingness to discuss issues but instead demagogue > ideas (like Intelligent Design), restrictions on travel > (China), excessive taxation, and so many other problems that, > even with our failings, there's no sense in losing even more > freedom than we already have.
None of the things you mention here are intrinsic features of socialism. The political things you mention are features of totalitarianism, which is not the same thing at all. Excessive (whatever that means) taxes have been imposed by governments of all persuasions when they've felt the need. It certainly is not restricted to socialists or even totalitarians. Every modern society imposes restrictions on personal weapons, even the USA. The entire discussion about firearms boils down to whereabouts on a sliding scale from personal nuclear bombs to GI Joe plastic guns you want your society to be. It's about the harm principle. At what point does the harm caused by allowing people to own a certain class of weapon outweigh the harm caused by not allowing it? Bellowing across the swamp about it like primeval mastodons serves no purpose. Whether or not people choose to discuss so-called Intelligent Design is nothing to do with politics, or should be nothing to do with politics expect that the Christian Right make it so. Intelligent Design is not science, consequently self-respecting scientists won't discuss it in connection with evolution, which is science. In the same way, astronomers won't engage with astrologers. Any attempt to introduce astrological ideas into a class teaching astronomy would be laughed at, as ID deserves to be. Bob
