World population day

Originally posted by princeoforange
You don't support the right to life?

I think it is one of the few sensible rights laid down in the UN convention on Human Rights. Obviously murder should forfeit that right, but otherwise it is a very moral right.

The Right to Life applies to Persons. Fetuses by tradition are not Persons.

Neither were women, so I can see the argument that we should change our idea of what a Person is. I think defining it as a Human is a poor idea though because in principle there can be non-humans who I and many adult humans I think would regard as people. Artificial intelligence, aliens, angels, leprechauns, whatever.

The personhood theory has become a pivotal issue in the interdisciplinary field of bioethics. While historically most humans did not enjoy full legal protection as "persons" (women, children, non-landowners, minorities, slaves, etc.), from the late 18th through the late 20th century being born as a member of the human species gradually became secular grounds for an appeal for basic rights of liberty, freedom from persecution, and humanitarian care.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person

Here are some more references on the idea of the Person taken from the Wikipedia article:

^ Strawson, P.F. 1959. Individuals. London: Methuen: 104.
^ Locke, John. 1961. Essay Concerning Human Understanding. London: Dent: 280.

Originally posted by princeoforange
No, if America doesn't get involved then it is only bad in the eyes of left-wing scum who are always going to hate America anyway.

I think the first thing you have to do is take a step back. Get your nose out of the pudding and look at the facts.

Left-wing scum (I presume you're talking about communists here) have absolutely no problem with America.
They may have problems with US foreign policy, they may have problems with US administration rhetoric, hell, some of them who have friends over there, may even have problems with US internal policy.

But none of them hate America. It's very hard to hate a piece of land. Seriously. It's impossible to hate EVERYONE in that country for what their government is doing.
Well... it's impossible for left-wing scum anyway.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
The Right to Life applies to Persons. Fetuses by tradition are not Persons.

Neither were women, so I can see the argument that we should change our idea of what a Person is. I think defining it as a Human is a poor idea though because in principle there can be non-humans who I and many adult humans I think would regard as people. Artificial inte ...[text shortened]... uen: 104.
^ Locke, John. 1961. Essay Concerning Human Understanding. London: Dent: 280. [/i]

I suspect many of us have had to look beyond the singular (the person) and instead at the potential.

Originally posted by shavixmir
But none of them hate America. It's very hard to hate a piece of land. Seriously. It's impossible to hate EVERYONE in that country for what their government is doing.
Well... it's impossible for left-wing scum anyway.

The USA, in its original founding principles, was created as the most moral country in history. When created it became the standard for others to aspire to. In the last half-century they have lost touch with those founding principles. However, it remains, the last “semi-free” country left.

Yet they are accused of being imperialists--and "imperialism" is the name given to the foreign policy of that country, which historically had never engaged in military conquest and never profited from the two world wars, which they did not initiate, but entered and won. (It was, incidentally, a foolishly overgenerous policy, which made them waste their wealth on helping both their allies and their former enemies.)

The USA is attacked, not for any errors or flaws, but for its virtues. It is denounced, not for any weaknesses, but for its strength and competence. They are self penalised by being the protectors of freedom. Those who seek to destroy that country, seek to disarm it--intellectually and physically. But it's not a mere political issue; politics is not the cause, but the last consequence. It's not a communist conspiracy, though some communists may be involved--as maggots cash in on disasters they had no power to originate. The motive is not love for communism, but hatred for America. Why hatred? It’s because America is the Capitalist refutation of a Socialist universe.

Today's mawkish concern with and compassion for the feeble, the flawed, the suffering, the guilty, is a cover for the profoundly Socialist hatred of the innocent, the strong, the able, the successful, the virtuous, the confident, the happy. Hatred of the good for being the good, is the hallmark of the twentieth century.

In their founding principles, there were contradictions and omissions, but I speak of the essentials. There may be individuals in their history who did not live up to their highest standards--as there are in every institution--since no institutions and no social system can guarantee the automatic perfection of all its members; this depends on an individual's free will. I am speaking of their standards. They had three qualities of character which were typical at the time of America's birth, but have continually slipped away in the west and are virtually nonexistent today: earnestness--dedication--a sense of honor.