[ExI] age of mockery

[spike]

>... On Behalf Of Charlie Stross
Subject: Re: [ExI] age of mockery

On 17 Oct 2012, at 03:41, Anders Sandberg <anders at aleph.se> wrote:

> On 16/10/2012 16:48, spike wrote:

>>>> ...You know, of course, that the UK doesn't have a First Amendment
right...  BillK

>>> BillK, you lads should get one...

>> We need a constitution first. Maybe we should humbly beg Her Majesty for
an update on Magna Carta...

>...There is, actually, a British constitution. However, it's not a single
document: per a law professor of my acquaintance it's encoded in 24
different Acts of Parliament...-- Charlie
_______________________________________________

Hmmm, this discussion makes my point before I even start to write.

There is a fundamental disconnect between the Brits and the Yanks.  We do
not beg Her Majesty, our Parliament, our congress, or anyone else, for
anything found in the Bill of Rights.  We made it clear up front, in the
constitution that we have certain fundamental rights, listed in our first
ten amendments, appropriately called the Bill of Rights, not granted by the
government but rather inalienable rights.  We do not derive these from
consent of the government, the UN or anyone.  We granted some rights to the
government, and retained some.

The government's opinion is irrelevant to these rights.  The way the
constitution is constructed, these are our rights regardless of the
government.  Should the US government fail, collapse, go out of business, we
the people retain the rights listed in those ten amendments.  We do not ask
permission for that which we own.  The government does not have the right to
infringe upon those rights, not now, not later, case closed.

I love our constitution.  

spike