The Saturday Morning Post: Politics 20

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I generally avoid politics in my posts.  I have strong political views, and that is fine, they are mine.  Yet there are a couple of thoughts that while not directly related to current events, I want to write about. 

I am troubled that many (not all) of the men who wrote or signed their names to:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Were men who bought and sold human beings. Many of them returned home, to a lifestyle made possible by the scourge of human slavery. Some of the founding fathers went onto be virulent defenders of slavery, and the economy that was based on it. 

How could they not see the disconnect between their words and their deeds? 

Between the adoption of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Congress passed a law criminalizing speaking out against the government.  Authors and publishers were arrested for publishing content that criticized the government in any way.  

Any time a government, or other institution seeks to suppress or criminalize opposition, it makes it easy for that government or institution to abuse its power or authority. Governments do this, social or religious institutions do this, punishing or excluding those who speak out, or even who chose not to follow the dictates of the institutions.  

There is a war going on right now, where it is very difficult to criticize one side, because any criticism of any action of that government brings a response that you are the vilest kind of human being possible because you question any action of that government.  And this is not a place we would think of as a totalitarian country, but if you question anything you are automatically classified as the enemy. That is evil. It is an abuse of power.  

The killing of children in war, is wrong, no matter what side does it.  Killing children in war, is evil no matter who does it. Two evils, does not make one Good.  Retribution is not an excuse for the murder of children.