e-commentary

Men naturally seek to enslave other men.  Men do not naturally seek to provide other men with “due process.”  Due process requires 1) notice of a proceeding impacting a person’s life, liberty or property, and 2) an opportunity to be heard in good faith by a neutral decision maker applying known and settled rules.  “Due process” also suggests the “rule or law” or even “fundamental fairness.”  However, it is easier for a hippopotamus to ride a unicycle than it is for a man to give another man something as unnatural as the process he is due.

Governments are instituted among men (and women), among other reasons, to disincline them from doing what is natural (enslave others) and to incline them to do what is unnatural (respect due process).  The growing pains of the Republic were painful; the Founders did more to promote slavery than to enshrine due process.  Yet they made a path-breaking start in the promising direction. Democracy is not easy.  Democracy emerges slowly.  The country grew.

Protecting against our worst impulses and advancing our noble ones requires a sword and a plow share.  These efforts are undertaken under different names, banners and gonfalons.  One of them reads “Duty, Honor and Country” and another “Semper Fi,” among others.  Many Americans have died protecting what many do not understand and too many take for granted.

Bumper stickers of the week:

All gave some, some gave all

Not to promote war, but to preserve peace

This entry was posted on November 12, 2007 at 10:19 am and is filed under Civil Rights/Civil Liberties, Due Process, Law, Military, Philosophy, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.