Don't give me that, you snotty-faced heap of parrot droppings! On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 9:51 AM, Michael Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
> (Why, I wonder parenthetically, do all responses > on this list have to be couched in a peevish, > reproachful tone?) > > On Sat, 9 Mar 2013 22:16:46 -0700 > Marv Gandall <[email protected]> wrote: > > > in practice, you support the rights won in past struggles > > [excellent list of things I support snipped] > > Sure I support these things, but not qua 'rights'. They weren't > rights before people grasped, conquered, wrested them from their > masters. And they will not be rights any more once they're gone > in practice. The language of 'rights' suggests something eternal, > transcendent, 'out there', morally grounded. > > It's quite liberating to abandon this language, I think. People > can argue about what your rights are, but they can't argue with > facts, or even desires. > > I think we should claim these things because we *want* them, not > because we can make some always-debatable claim of entitlement > to them. > > > As the poet says, theory is grey but the great tree of life is green. > > The golden tree, IIRC: grün des Lebens goldner Baum. I never quite > understood how it could be green *and* gold, but I suspect the great > man was swept away by an irresistible Virgilian allusion. And I think > this somewhat over-familiar tag provides more support to my position > than yours: rights are, of course, always a matter of theory, but > facts are the leaves of that goldner Baum. > > -- > -- > > Michael J. Smith > [email protected] > > http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org > http://fakesprogress.blogspot.com > http://cars-suck.org > > 'I'm not so sure about the Divisionnaire. He > might just possibly have a soul. There's something > unhappy about him.' > > 'Is that always a sign?' > > 'I think it is.' > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Cheers, Tom Walker (Sandwichman)
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