Tuesday, January 31, 2012

That's not fair!

Among the first words humans speak, and among the first things they learn are;

mommy / daddy

... not fair!

and

life isn't fair ...
It could be argued that the need to be treated "fairly" is instinctual; not unlike the urge to survive and to compete.

What words do children voice with more conviction and honest
outrage than;
It isn't fair!
From birth, humans are looking for fairness in the processes
that decide their interests. Where they can, they create formal processes to guarantee fundamental fairness.
They create due process.

Life isn't fair. People are not fair.
It isn't reasonable to expect people or life to be fair.

It is every bit reasonable to expect government of the people, by the people and for the people to be fair, It is reasonable to expect government processes to be fair.

It is reasonable to expect due process in dealing with government.

By what logic do the arguments in support of the essential
need for due process anywhere, not support the essential
need for due process everywhere?

If the first legitimate use of power is to protect it from abuse,
then the first abusive use of power is to protect the abuse of
power, from accountability and consequences.

Corrupt politicians and public servants protect themselves and
each other, by denying due process to complaints against them.

Cultures of corruption are defined by the lack of due process
for complaints that would expose and curtail them.

The terms of public service are the prerogative of the people.
Essential among those terms are the accountability of politicians
and public servants to the people, by means of due process
for the peoples' complaints against them.

1 comment:

ched macquigg said...

A person I believe to be H Wayne Knight posted the following anonymously;
Oh Captain Virtue! Save us! What would we ever do without you?
It is only by your model and example that we can be led to the promised land! Your martyrdom for free speech and whistleblowers is almost convincing enough to cover your spiteful ends. Hiding behind a presumed shield of pseudologic is excellent cloaking strategy. We could all learn more from your observing righteousness!

Can't imagine what Wayne means by "spiteful ends" and he offers no elucidation.

As for "pseudologic", I looked it up and it apparently doesn't exist. I think he just made it up; the concept is oxymoronic. As is usual with him he can't point to any flaw in the logic in the post, of course; except that it is "pseudo"

Knight,I will remind you, was described by a former State Supreme Court Chief Justice, as "lacking credibility in the face of controverting evidence from any other witness"

One wonders why he keeps reading.