[ExI] a good day for liberty

[spike]

... On Behalf Of Ben Zaiboc
...
> 
>> >Why, was the American Revolution done legally? ;-) Stefano Vaj
> 
>> Yes because it predated the constitution.


>...LOL, spoken like a true American, spike!

You are too kind sir.  {8-]

>...I suppose it's only failed revolutions that are not 'legal'.  History is
written by the victors, as they say...Ben Zaiboc

Exactly!  This works for markets as well.  Consider the early days of video
tape, when we had VHS and Beta.  Sony's Beta was actually a technically
superior product, but few know that today, since the more open tech VHS won
in the marketplace.

But back to history, I did some studying after the initial discussion here,
and learned some interesting revisionist history regarding the origins of
the Declaration of Independence and the US constitution.  According to some
sources (which I didn't keep but now need to find again) the early acts of
civil disobedience in the American colonies in the 1770s were not about
taxes but rather about abolition of slavery.  Many vocal colonists wanted to
abolish slavery in the colonies, but King George of England insisted that
the colonies were under British law, which allowed it.  The Brithish
reminded the local colonial governments they had not the authority to
overrule the crown.

This is compelling, once one realizes that around 70% of the signers of the
Declaration had no slaves.  Some sources argue that the comment "...all men
are created equal..." with divine right to "...life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness..." were put in there specifically and with the intent to set
the stage for freeing all remaining slaves.  This effort failed of course,
and set the stage for a horrifying war nearly a century later.

spike