Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Re: What the hell is going on at theNewYorkTimes?

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Tue, 9 Nov 2004, Edward Terry wrote:

>> Issues are real, pronounced things; issues have a palpable effect on 
>> the country. Voting along moral/value guidelines is not voting on real 
>> issues.
>
> Or to put it another way, the government shouldn't legislate morality. This 
> makes no sense at all.  All laws are based on either morality or 
> self-interest.  Laws against murder are a good example.

I'm sure Ryan didn't mean that.  A law against murder is not just based on 
the immorality of murder, it is based on the right of the individual not 
to be murdered.  We have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of 
happiness, and to take away those rights must be illegal.

When Ryan talks about morality, I'm sure he's concerned with issues that 
don't impinge on the rights of others.  Private, consensual sexual contact 
between adults should not be legislated.  Here are some things that could 
be made illegal to satisfy some people's moral requirements:

possession of erotic photographs/films
sex before marriage
extramarital sex
nonmarital cohabitation
unmarried opposite-sex couples sharing a hotel room
oral sex in marital relationships
masturbation

Would such laws be OK with you?  Such laws would not help to protect 
anyone from harm.  On that basis alone, they would be highly questionable. 
It's not just sex.  There are lots of other 'moral' things that could be 
legislated.

Mike
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