We used to sanction treating people as property. We don't now.
We used to sanction discrimination. We don't now.
We used to draft people into the military. We don't now.
It did come to violence once in our history, and I like to believe we learned from that, we've not had another civil war since.
We voted a bunch of folks who were trouncing on the Constitution out of office. The process takes time, the time is built into the system to prevent wild oscillations.
At least in the US, the government's "power" springs very directly from the people, its not up to the Government to 'give it up' or not.
People who cannot convince the electorate that their cause is just will seek to take power by deception, do not be fooled.
"We used to sanction treating people as property. We don't now.
We used to sanction discrimination. We don't now."
You aren't much of a 'student of history' if you think either of these was achieved by people following the rules. Countless people broke laws and were killed and jailed for those rights.
"We used to draft people into the military. We don't now."
The draft is still legal, so not sure what your point is here. Should we be celebrating that our benevolent leaders haven't deemed it necessary to use us as cannon fodder in the last few decades, though they reserve the right to?
"At least in the US, the government's "power" springs very directly from the people, its not up to the Government to 'give it up' or not."
If power 'sprang up from the people' in America, we would not have the patriot act or wars in several countries or foreign aid to despotic regimes or Wall Street bailouts or the war on drugs or TSA gate rape at airports or any number of extremely unpopular policies. America is an oligarchy, not a democracy. Power only springs up from the people to the extent that the people are willing to fight and die and go to jail for their rights, just like the subjects of any other corrupt regime.
We used to sanction treating people as property.
We don't now.
It took a hell of a lot of violence to make that happen.
We used to sanction discrimination. We don't now.
The water cannon, FBI raids, Klan intimidation, police dogs, and assassinations of civil rights leaders don't count as violence?
We used to draft people into the military. We don't now.
We stopped after thousands of disaffected youths much like the ones you're deriding right now stood up, burned their draft cards, and took a stand.
We voted a bunch of folks who were trouncing on the
Constitution out of office. The process takes time, the
time is built into the system to prevent wild
oscillations.
We voted a bunch of folks who were trouncing the Constitution out of office and replaced them with people who've continued treating the founding document of the United States of America as toilet paper. Name one way that Obama's policies have differed from Bush in the field of civil liberties or due process. In every case, from the closing of Guantanamo to the continuation of warrantless wiretaps and national security letters, the incoming Obama administration dovetailed perfectly with the outgoing Bush administration. Obama has talked a good game, but has done absolutely nothing, even when opportunities to stand up for citizens' rights were presented to him on a silver platter.
At least in the US, the government's "power" springs very
directly from the people, its not up to the Government to
'give it up' or not.
When the government can manipulate its power base as easily as our government is doing right now, the check of the people's will just another loophole to be exploited.
All of those "We used to sanction…" bullet points are not the government giving up its power. If anything, the government is now asserting more power to block things that used to be permitted. Similarly, if a collector stops sanctioning late payments and takes a baseball bat to delinquent debtors, nobody would say, "Wow, just look at how much he's given up his power over these people." (I'm not saying the laws in question are bad, but they aren't examples of the government giving up power.)
Abolishing the draft actually is an example of the government giving up power — or would be, if it had actually happened. Which it hasn't. All American men are required by law to sign up for Selective Service (i.e. the draft). The reason people aren't being actively drafted is because those in charge believe a draft at this time would be more trouble than it is worth, not because the government has relinquished the power.
What on earth are you talking about? Every one of those cases was changed through violence. Stop treating people as property? The civil war. No more discrimination? You think that was all done by speeches? What was MLK Jr. talking about when he mentioned "the blast heard 'round the world"?
Powerful people never give up power without violence or obvious threat of violence. You're seeing things how you wish they were.
"No government gives up its power willingly."
We used to sanction treating people as property. We don't now.
We used to sanction discrimination. We don't now.
We used to draft people into the military. We don't now.
It did come to violence once in our history, and I like to believe we learned from that, we've not had another civil war since.
We voted a bunch of folks who were trouncing on the Constitution out of office. The process takes time, the time is built into the system to prevent wild oscillations.
At least in the US, the government's "power" springs very directly from the people, its not up to the Government to 'give it up' or not.
People who cannot convince the electorate that their cause is just will seek to take power by deception, do not be fooled.